











                                                                PC-File

                                                          User's Manual

                                                            Version 5.0
















                                                     ISBN 0-922692-24-6


                                     Copyright {C} 1982-1990 Jim Button
                               Copyright {C} 1984-1990 ButtonWare, Inc.
                                                   All Rights Reserved.


                                                       ButtonWare, Inc.
                                                         P.O. Box 96058
                                                     Bellevue, WA 98009
                                                                    USA























































                                                                PC-File












                                  COPYRIGHT NOTICE



                               PC-File{R}, Version 5.0

                        Copyright {C} 1982-1990 by Jim Button
                     Copyright {C} 1984-1990 by ButtonWare, Inc.
                                 All Rights Reserved.



              No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmitted,
              transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated
              into any language, natural or computer, in any form or by
              any means, without the prior written permission of
              ButtonWare, Inc.

              The software described in this manual is protected by
              copyright laws.

              Information in this manual is subject to change without
              notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
              ButtonWare, Inc.

              ButtonWare may make improvements and/or changes in this
              manual or in the product(s) and/or the program(s)
              described in this manual at any time.

              This product could include technical inaccuracies or
              typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to
              the information herein; these changes may be incorporated
              in new editions of the product.

              PC-File, PC-File III, PC-File+, PC-File:dB, PC-Calc, PC-
              Dial, PC-Type, PC-Tickle, PC-Stylist, and Baker's Dozen
              are registered trademarks of ButtonWare, Inc.

              Other brand and product names are trademarks or
              registered trademarks of their respective holders.























































                                                                PC-File












                                    PHONE NUMBERS


              800-J-BUTTON

                   Toll free order line
                   All 50 states except Washington
                   Does not include Canada


              206-454-0479

                   ButtonWare business line
                   9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time
                   Monday through Friday


              206-454-2629

                   Bulletin Board
                   5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time
                   Monday through Friday
                   24 hours weekends and holidays

              PHONE NUMBERS
              _________________________________________________________




















































              6                                                 PC-File

                                                       BEFORE YOU BEGIN
              _________________________________________________________









                                  BEFORE YOU BEGIN










































                                                                      7

              BEFORE YOU BEGIN
              _________________________________________________________




















































              8                                                 PC-File

                                                           INTRODUCTION
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 1

                                    INTRODUCTION


              1.1  GENERAL INFORMATION


              PC-File is the value leader in flat file database
              managers. It combines maximum power with ease of use.
              With PC-File you can easily create and maintain
              databases, and produce printed reports from all of your
              stored data.

              You can use PC-File for all kinds of tasks:

                    Maintain mailing lists and print mailing labels.

                    Write letters and send customized mailings to
                     selected individuals from your database.

                    Maintain price lists.

                    Keep track of various collections--stamps, coins,
                     albums, video tapes.

                    Keep customer lists and telephone lists. PC-File
                     can automatically place phone calls to people in
                     the database.

                    Maintain data to be exchanged with other programs,
                     such as dBASE, 1-2-3, Microsoft Word, and
                     WordStar.

              Above all else, PC-File is EASY! Many people use it with
              no training or instructions. Please read this manual
              carefully, however, if you want to pick up the extra fine
              points of the program.





                                                                      9

              INTRODUCTION
              _________________________________________________________



              PC-File contains powerful features, including many not
              normally found in other database programs. Here is a
              brief overview of what you'll be learning about and
              using:

                    PC-File is file compatible with dBASE III PLUS.
                     This means that your PC-File databases can be
                     processed directly by dBASE, and your dBASE files
                     can be used directly by PC-File.

                    Customize up to five data entry screens per
                     record.

                    Retrieve information from other PC-File databases
                     for use in the current one.

                    If you have the multi-user version, you can run
                     PC-File on a Local Area Network (LAN). File and
                     record locking and sharing handled automatically.

                    Graph your data.

                    Produce personalized letters with mail merge.

                    Calculate your data. Calculations can be done on
                     fields in the database, and the answers can be
                     used to update other fields in the database, or
                     included in reports and letters.

                    Learn with context sensitive, pop-up help screens.

                    Prepare sophisticated reports with multiple
                     subtotal breaks.

                    Let PC-File place phone calls for you, and
                     automatically keep a telephone log of calls which
                     you have made.

                    Define and use smart keys (macros).

                    Browse your data. View many records at a time -
                     scroll left or right to see all fields in each
                     record.

                    Password protect individual features.




              10                                                PC-File

                                                           INTRODUCTION
              _________________________________________________________



                    Find records using powerful searches.

                    Global modify or delete on any combination of
                     fields, including a portion of a field.

                    Sort on any fields.

                    Maintain up to 9 indexes per database.

                    Select on any field with boolean "and/or"
                     comparisons.

                    Use a mouse with PC-File.




































                                                                     11

              INTRODUCTION
              _________________________________________________________




















































              12                                                PC-File

                                                     INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 2

                                 INSTALLING PC-FILE


              The files on the PC-File disks are in compressed format.
              You must run an installation procedure to uncompress
              these files before using PC-File.

              The installation procedure creates a subdirectory on your
              hard disk called \PCFDB. All of the PC-File files are
              then placed into the new subdirectory.

              Note: Throughout this manual, we have underlined all text
              that you should type. In other words, if the manual says
              "type CD\JUNK", then you should type CD\JUNK. This is a
              convention that is used through the entire manual.


              2.1  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS


              There are some important equipment requirements to run
              PC-File:

                 1.  Your computer must be very IBM PC or PS/2
                     compatible.

                 2.  You must have at least 1 megabyte of available
                     disk storage.

                 3.  You must have at least 512K of RAM.

                 4.  You must be using a version of DOS that is 2.0 or
                     later. You must have DOS 3.0 or later to use the
                     drop to DOS feature. You must have DOS 3.1 or
                     later and the LAN version of PC-File to use PC-
                     File on a network.





                                                                     13

              INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



              2.1.1  FIGURING OUT AVAILABLE MEMORY AND DISK SPACE

              Here's how you can tell how much memory and storage are
              available on your computer.

                 1.  Type C: and press (Enter). This will move you to
                     your hard disk.

                 2.  Type CHKDSK and press (Enter). This starts a DOS
                     program called "check disk" that analyzes the hard
                     disk and tells you how much space is available. It
                     also checks to see how much Memory is installed in
                     the computer, and how much memory is available.

              Note: For more information on the CHKDSK command, consult
              your DOS manual.

              The top paragraph of the CHKDSK message has information
              about the hard disk; the bottom paragraph has information
              about memory.

              The bottom line in the top paragraph tells you how much
              storage is available on the hard disk. One million bytes
              (one megabyte) is the minimum required to run PC-File.

              The bottom line in the second paragraph tells you how
              much memory is available in your computer. 524,288 bytes
              or 512K is the minimum required for PC-File.


              2.2  INSTALLING FOR THE FIRST TIME


              2.2.1  Installing 5 1/4" Disks

              The Install program doesn't install any "hidden files" on
              your disk, and won't alter any of your files without
              first asking your permission.

              To install PC-File on your hard disk, do the following:

                 1.  Boot up with DOS in the normal fashion. You should
                     see the DOS prompt before you continue this
                     procedure.





              14                                                PC-File

                                                     INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



                 2.  You must have at least 1 MB of available disk
                     space on your hard disk. (Use the DOS DIR or
                     CHKDSK command to check.)

                 3.  Place the PC-File Disk One in your A drive.
                     Install the program by typing:

                     A:INSTALL

                     and pressing  (Enter).

                     The above example assumes the PC-File diskette is
                     in drive A. If you are using a different hardware
                     configuration, modify the command accordingly.

                 4.  The Install program begins by telling you how much
                     free space is required for PC-File, then asks:

                          Do you want to continue with the installation?

                     Answer accordingly.

                 5.  The Install program now asks:

                          Enter the Source Drive (A,B) [A]

                     This is the drive that contains PC-File Disk One.
                     In this case, you probably want to answer A.

                          Enter the Destination Drive (A,B,C,D,E,F) [C]

                     The Install program needs to know which drive to
                     copy the files to. Press (Enter) if drive C is the
                     correct drive; otherwise type the drive letter
                     where you would like the new files to be copied.

                          Enter Destination Directory [\PCFDB
                          ]

                     The Install program needs to know which directory
                     to copy the files to. Press (Enter) if PCFDB is
                     the correct directory; otherwise type in the
                     directory where you would like the new files to be
                     copied.





                                                                     15

              INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



                     If the Install program doesn't find the directory,
                     you're asked:

                          Directory does not exist. May I create it?
                          (Y/N)

                     Press Y and the install program creates the
                     directory.

                 6.  The Install program proceeds to install PC-File to
                     the drive and directory that you've indicated.
                     After the Install program installs Disk One,
                     you're prompted to insert Disk Two in drive A.
                     Next you're asked:

                          Ready to inspect CONFIG.SYS for FILES=20
                          May I update your CONFIG.SYS file? Y/N

                 7.  If you don't currently have a CONFIG.SYS file, the
                     Install program creates one for you.  Likewise, if
                     your CONFIG.SYS file doesn't contain FILES=20, the
                     Install program adds it for you. If your
                     CONFIG.SYS already contains FILES=20, answer N.

                 8.  Next, the Install program asks:

                          Do you have a color monitor? (Y/N)

                     Answer appropriately.

                 9.  You're also asked:

                          What type of printer?

                     and you're offered a series choices.  Select your
                     printer.

                10.  The last question that the Install program asks is
                     about the READ.ME file:

                          Print READ.ME on Screen, Printer or Nowhere?

                     See "The READ.ME File" section for more
                     information on the READ.ME file.





              16                                                PC-File

                                                     INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



              Note: If the Install program doesn't finish, refer to the
              section, "Manually Installing PC-File".

              2.2.2  Installing to 3 1/2" Disks

              You are asked all of the same questions with 3 1/2" disks
              that you are with 5 1/4" disks.  However, you will need
              to follow these steps to successfully install to 3 1/2"
              disks:

                 1.  Format two diskettes using DOS. Label them "PC-
                     File Working Disk One" and "PC-File Working Disk
                     Two". If you need more information on formatting
                     diskettes, please refer to your DOS manual.

                 2.  Place the master PC-File disk in one of your
                     drives, and the PC-File Working Disk One in
                     another drive.

                 3.  At the DOS prompt, type the following:

                     INSTALL

                     and press (Enter).

                 4.  Answer the screens prompts, choosing the
                     appropriate drives for your system. When asked for
                     the Destination Directory, respond with a
                     backslash by itself: \

                 5.  When prompted, insert your PC-File Working Disk
                     Two in the destination drive.

                 6.  After the installation is finished, place the
                     master disks in a safe place.

              You can now run PC-File from the PC-File Working Disk
              One.


              2.3  INSTALLING OVER AN EXISTING COPY OF PC-FILE


              If you have a previous version of PC-File on your
              machine, you probably want to install the files to the
              same drive and directory you installed the previous



                                                                     17

              INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



              versions.  You should only install the .EXE, .COM and
              .HLP files. When asked if you want to overwrite a file,
              answer Y for all .EXE, .COM and .HLP files, and N for all
              other files.

              If you follow these instructions, you will not overwrite
              any of your existing data.


              2.4  MANUALLY INSTALLING PC-FILE


              There are times when the Install program doesn't work on
              a particular hardware configuration.  If you are unable
              to successfully install PC-File using the Install
              program, follow these steps:

                 1.  Change to the drive and directory where you would
                     like to install PC-File.

                 2.  Place PC-File Disk One in drive A and type:

                     COPY  A:*.*

                 3.  Follow the same steps with Disk Two if you have 5
                     1/4" disks.

                 4.  To extract all files, type:

                     PKUNZIP  *.ZIP

                 5.  To extract selected files, type:

                     PKUNZIP  PCF1  filespec

                     where "filespec" is the file specification of the
                     file(s) to extract. You can also replace PCF1 with
                     PCF2 to extract files from the PCF2.ZIP file.

                 6.  After you have extracted all of the PC-File files,
                     you can delete the compressed files and install
                     program. To delete these files type:

                     DEL  *.ZIP                    and press (Enter).

                     DEL  INSTALL.EXE         and press (Enter).



              18                                                PC-File

                                                     INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



                     DEL  PKUNZIP.EXE         and press (Enter).


              2.5  THE READ.ME FILE


              The PC-File diskettes include a file called READ.ME. This
              file contains information that may have been added after
              this manual was printed. This file is displayed for you
              as part of the installation process. It's just a plain
              text file, so you can view it yourself whenever you want.

              Here is how to access the READ.ME file:

                 1.  Place PC-File Disk One in the A drive.

                 2.  At the DOS prompt type:

                          TYPE  A:READ.ME

                     and press  (Enter).

                 3.  To print the READ.ME file to a parallel printer,
                     type:

                          TYPE  A:READ.ME  >PRN

                     and press  (Enter).


              2.6  YOUR CONFIG.SYS FILE


              PC-File opens several different files, including your
              database, index and memo files. You must make allowances
              for the number of files to be opened before using PC-
              File.

              If you do not currently have a CONFIG.SYS file in the
              root directory on your boot disk, the install procedure
              creates one for you. Or, you can add it easily by typing
              in the following lines after booting up:

                   CD  \
                   COPY  CON:  CONFIG.SYS
                   FILES=20



                                                                     19

              INSTALLING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



              Press  (Enter)  after each line. After the last line has
              been typed, press  (F6)  and a ^Z will appear. Then press
              (Enter).

              Use your text editor or word processing program to insert
              the following line in an existing CONFIG.SYS file:

                   FILES=20

              Note: You can set FILES to a larger number. This may be
              necessary if you use memory resident programs, or index
              more than 5 fields.

              After you change your CONFIG.SYS file, you must reboot
              your computer so that the changes will take effect.

              For more information on the FILES command and the
              CONFIG.SYS file, refer to your DOS manual.


              2.7  BACKING UP YOUR PC-FILE DISKS


              We recommend you make a copy of each PC-File disk. Follow
              these steps:

                 1.  Place your DOS disk in drive A. Type  A:  and
                     press (Enter).

                 2.  Type  DISKCOPY  A:  A:  and press (Enter).

                 3.  You will be told to place the source disk in drive
                     A. Place PC-File Disk One in drive A, then press
                     (Enter).

                 4.  When told to insert the target disk, remove PC-
                     File Disk One from drive A, insert a blank disk,
                     then press (Enter).

                 5.  Repeat these steps to copy PC-File Disk Two if you
                     have 5 1/4 disks.








              20                                                PC-File

                                   COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 3

                        COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS


              If you're a new user of PC-File and have NO pre-existing
              PC-File databases, you can skip this chapter. This
              chapter gives information about the compatibility of
              previous PC-File databases, indexes, report formats,
              letters, etc. with PC-File version 5.0.


              3.1  PC-FILE:dB 1.0, 1.1 PREVIOUS USERS


              PC-File version 5.0 reads any PC-File:dB version 1.0 and
              1.1 database, index, report, letter or graph format file
              and profile. Smart key files may need to be changed
              slightly due to differences in the menus.

              Certain indexes created with PC-File version 5.0 may not
              be suitable for use by versions 1.0 and 1.1. PC-File
              version 5.0 databases with more than 70 fields or
              multiple entry screens are not compatible with PC-File:dB
              version 1.0 or 1.1.


              3.2  PC-FILE+ PREVIOUS USERS


              Databases created by any version of PC-File+ must first
              be converted. PC-File version 5.0 can read report
              formats, letter and graph format files created with PC-
              File+. Smart key files may need to be changed slightly
              due to differences in the menus.








                                                                     21

              COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS
              _________________________________________________________



              3.3  PC-FILE III & PC-FILE/R PREVIOUS USERS


              All databases created with PC-File III and PC-File/R must
              first be converted. PC-File version 5.0 cannot read
              existing report formats, but can read letters created
              with PC-File/R. Relational lookups in PC-File version 5.0
              are slightly different than those in PC-File/R; these
              need to be edited. A few calculations may need to be
              changed because PC-File version 5.0 does not compute
              results in a pure left-to-right fashion. Most smart keys
              need to be revised.

              PC-File cannot read "encrypted" databases. If you have
              any of these, you must first clone them using PC-File III
              or PC-File/R to remove the encryption.


              3.4  CONVERTING YOUR DATABASES


              Converting your old PC-File databases to run with PC-File
              version 5.0 is easy. Just follow the instructions below
              to get each database converted.

              Bring up DOS the way you usually do, and change into the
              PCFDB subdirectory. Usually, this is done by typing:

                        CD  \PCFDB

              and pressing  (Enter).

              Then type:

                        FCONVERT

              and press  (Enter).

              At this point, you can put your database diskette into
              the A or B disk drive. No action is required if your
              database is on the hard disk.

              FCONVERT will ask a series of questions:

                   Enter the old database name.




              22                                                PC-File

                                   COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS
              _________________________________________________________



              You can also include the drive and path; the extension
              isn't required.

                   Enter the new database name.

              You can use the same name, because different extensions
              are used.

                   Enter a short description for the database.

              PC-File allows you to enter a description for each
              database that you convert/create. That way, when you are
              selecting your database, the description gives you more
              information than just the file name.

              If any of your fields are numeric (the field name ends
              with a #), FCONVERT asks:

                   How many decimal positions in FIELD?

              Answer appropriately.

              Note: The # sign is not a valid character in field names
              in PC-File version 5.0. FCONVERT removes all #
              characters.

                   The superfield is: field name

              If the database has a superfield that's less than 254
              characters, you need to tell PC-File whether you want
              this field to be a memo field or a window field. Both
              have advantages and are explained in detail in Chapter 9,
              "PC-File Data Files". If the database doesn't have a
              superfield, FCONVERT won't ask you this question. If the
              superfield is greater than 254 characters, it's
              automatically converted to a memo field.

                   Select one field for an index. You can add more
                   later.

              You are given the chance to use the index field name as
              the index file name or use a different name. Using a
              different name is required when you index more than one
              field with the same name (like ZIP in several databases).





                                                                     23

              COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS
              _________________________________________________________



              After you answer the questions from the FCONVERT program
              a new database is created in dBASE/PC-File version 5.0
              format.

              Repeat this procedure for each of your old databases.


              3.5  DOWNWARD COMPATIBILITY


              Databases created with PC-File version 5.0 are NOT
              downward compatible with earlier versions of PC-File. You
              can't use a database with PC-File version 5.0 and then
              use it directly with PC-File+, PC-File/R or PC-File III.
              However, PC-File+ can directly import PC-File version 5.0
              files by specifying dBASE III import format. To use PC-
              File version 5.0 files with PC-File/R or PC-File III,
              export your database (using PC-File version 5.0) to a
              text editor format. Then, import this file using PC-
              File/R or PC-File III. Remember though, the database
              format must match exactly.




























              24                                                PC-File

                                                     GETTING ACQUAINTED
              _________________________________________________________









                                 GETTING ACQUAINTED










































                                                                     25

              GETTING ACQUAINTED
              _________________________________________________________




















































              26                                                PC-File

                                            HELP SCREENS AND TEACH MODE
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 4

                             HELP SCREENS AND TEACH MODE


              One very useful feature for new users of PC-File is the
              HELP key.

              The (Alt)H combination has been set aside as the help
              key. When you're in doubt about what to do or how to
              answer a question, just press and hold the  (Alt)  key,
              then type  H.  A help window pops up. This window
              contains information designed to assist you with a
              particular area of PC-File. The help screens are context
              sensitive. They display information and some helpful tips
              for whatever area of the program is currently in use. The
              help screens also refer to appropriate pages in this
              manual when additional information is required.

              Like many PC-File windows, the help window is movable.
              The window can be moved up, down, left and right using
              the arrow keys to reveal any information it may be
              covering.

              After you've read the help message press any key (except
              the arrow keys) to remove the window.

              A fun way to learn PC-File is to put it into teach mode.
              When PC-File is in teach mode, it displays a help screen
              each time it asks a question. This keeps you from having
              to press  (Alt)H  again and again.

              Reading the help screens is an excellent way to learn
              about PC-File. You are actually reading the information
              in context. You see the question being asked, and at the
              same time you see information designed to help you answer
              the question. For people who shun books, this may be the
              best way to learn about the program.

              To put PC-File into teach mode, press  (Alt)T.



                                                                     27

              HELP SCREENS AND TEACH MODE
              _________________________________________________________



              When you're ready to get out of teach mode, press (Alt)T
              again. You must press (Alt)T when a help screen is NOT
              displayed.














































              28                                                PC-File

                                               SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 5

                              SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING


              PC-File usually provides an assumed answer for you in the
              input area. This is intended to save you some keystrokes.
              If the assumed answer is correct, press (Enter). If the
              assumed answer is incorrect, type in the correct reply.

              Note: Some of these keys have different meanings in the
              editor.

              Here's a summary chart of special keys in PC-File and
              their functions.

              KEY          FUNCTION
              (Alt)C       Calculator hot-key
              (Alt)D       drop to DOS
              (Alt)E       activate Editor (in memo field)
              (Alt)H       HELP
              (Alt)I       switch to next index
              (Alt)J       Jingle: automatically make a phone call
              (Alt)M       load new Macro smart keys
              (Alt)O       flip the flip character data
              (Alt)P       Print screen (cleaned up)
              (Alt)T       TEACH mode on/off
              (Alt)V       View memo field data
              (Alt)Y       smart key memorize on/off
              backspace    delete character to the left of the cursor
              (Ctrl)A      Accept data (same as  (F10)  key)
              (Ctrl)B      Blank right, to end of field
              (Ctrl)D      Duplicate all fields from previously viewed
                           record
              (Ctrl)E      activate Editor (in memo field)
              (Ctrl)F      duplicate current Field from previously
                           viewed record
              (Ctrl)J      Jingle: automatically make a phone call
              (Ctrl)L      print a Label (snapshot)




                                                                     29

              SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING
              _________________________________________________________



              (Ctrl)left arrow
                           move cursor one word to the left
              (Ctrl)O      flip the flip character data
              (Ctrl)P      Print screen (cleaned up)
              (Ctrl)R      Read into memory from current cursor
                           position
              (Ctrl)right arrow
                           move cursor one word to the right
              (Ctrl)W      Write from memory from current cursor
                           position
              (Del)        delete the character at the cursor
              down arrow   move cursor to next field or line
              (End)        move cursor right, past last character
              (Enter)      move cursor to next field, or accept data
              (Esc)        cancel this operation
              (F10)        accept data
              (Home)       move cursor left, to start of field
              (Ins)        Insert mode (on/off)
              left arrow   move cursor left one position
              (PgDn)       move cursor to next data entry screen
              (PgUp)       move cursor to previous data entry screen
              right arrow  move cursor right one position
              (Tab)        move cursor to next field, or move browse
                           window one field to the right
              (Shift)(Tab) move cursor to prior field, or move browse
                           window one field to the left
              tilde (~)    the flip data character
              up arrow     move cursor to preceding field or line

              Understanding how to use these keys in PC-File has a
              direct impact on how effectively you can use most aspects
              of the program.

              Keys that require further explanation are (Alt)C, (Alt)
              D, (Alt)O and (Alt)P.

              (Alt)C       This is the on-screen calculator. You are
                           given a one-line editing window. Within the
                           window, you can type in any calculation. The
                           answer is shown in a window, and is saved in
                           the "memorize" area. You can later write the
                           answer into a field by pressing (Ctrl)W, the
                           "write from memory" key.

              (Alt)D       The  (Alt)D  combination means drop to DOS.
                           This means that at any time you're using



              30                                                PC-File

                                               SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING
              _________________________________________________________



                           PC-File, you can temporarily suspend what
                           you're doing, perform a DOS command, and
                           resume where you left off. This feature is
                           only supported on DOS 3.0 or higher. If you
                           enter COMMAND when asked for the DOS
                           command, you will stay at the DOS prompt.
                           Type EXIT at the DOS prompt to return to
                           PC-File.

                           Note: When you drop to DOS and enter your
                           DOS command, PC-File asks "Free up all of
                           memory of DOS?" This means that PC-File
                           "rolls out" all of memory onto a temporary
                           disk file. This frees up almost all of your
                           RAM memory, permitting you to run almost any
                           other program from within PC-File.

              (Alt)O       When you press (Alt)O or (Ctrl)O in a field
                           with the flip data character (the tilde ~),
                           PC-File automatically flips the data for
                           you. For example, if you have a field called
                           NAME with the data BLOW~JOE typed in it, and
                           you press (Alt)O, PC-File will display JOE
                           BLOW. If you press (Alt)O again, PC-File
                           changes the data back to BLOW~JOE.

              (Alt)P       This key activates a print screen. Each
                           unprintable character is first changed into
                           a printable one. This way, you can print any
                           screen, even with windows and line graphics
                           characters showing on it. After the screen
                           is printed, the page is ejected from the
                           printer. (Ctrl)P can also be used.
















                                                                     31

              SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING
              _________________________________________________________




















































              32                                                PC-File

                                                        USING THE MOUSE
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 6

                                   USING THE MOUSE


              You can use a standard two or three button mouse to move
              your cursor around the various PC-File menus.


              6.1  MICE SUPPORTED


              PC-File supports the Microsoft Mouse, Logitech Mouse and
              PC-Mouse. Other mice probably will work with PC-File, but
              we have not tested them; therefore, we cannot guarantee
              performance.


              6.2  INSTALLING THE MOUSE


              PC-File automatically recognizes the mouse. You don't
              need to configure PC-File for the mouse.

              However, before entering PC-File, you must install your
              mouse using your mouse software. The installation for the
              mouse varies with each mouse. For example, if you're
              using a Microsoft Serial Mouse, you can install it using
              either MOUSE.COM or by placing MOUSE.SYS in your
              CONFIG.SYS file. Refer to your mouse manual for specific
              instructions.


              6.3  USING THE MOUSE IN PC-FILE


              If you move the mouse to the top line of your data entry
              screen, PC-File scrolls up; if you move the mouse to the
              bottom line, PC-File scrolls down. You can select menu




                                                                     33

              USING THE MOUSE
              _________________________________________________________



              options and move the cursor using the following
              techniques:

              Left Button  Works the same as the (Enter) or (F10) keys.

              Right Button Works the same as (Esc).

              Middle Button
                           If your mouse has a middle button, you can
                           bring up the mouse menu.

              Left/Right Button
                           By pressing the Left and Right Button
                           simultaneously, you can bring up the mouse
                           menu.

              6.3.1  The Mouse Menu

              The mouse menu consists of the following commands:









                [graphic N:\manual\mousmenu.eps goes here] 



                             Figure 6.1: The Mouse Menu



              Help         Clicking the Left Button on the Help option
                           brings up the standard help screen. It is
                           the same as pressing (Alt)H.

              Auto-Dial    When you're viewing or adding a record,
                           clicking the Left Button on the Auto-Dial
                           option invokes the telephone dialer. This is
                           the same as pressing (Alt)J.





              34                                                PC-File

                                                        USING THE MOUSE
              _________________________________________________________



              Calculator   Clicking the Left Button on the Calculator
                           option brings up the Calculator Hot Key.
                           This is the same as pressing (Alt)C.

              DOS command  Clicking the Left Button on the DOS command
                           option allows you to invoke a DOS command
                           from within PC-File. This is the same as
                           pressing (Alt)D.

              Snapshot Label
                           When you're viewing or adding a record,
                           clicking the Left Button on the Snapshot
                           Label option prints a pre-defined snapshot
                           label. This is the same as pressing (Ctrl)L.

              Print-Screen Clicking the Left Button on the Print-Screen
                           option prints the information on the screen
                           to your printer. This is the same as
                           pressing (Alt)P.

              Smart-Key    Clicking the Left Button on the Smart-Key
                           option brings up the smart key menu. Click
                           on the appropriate smart key, and the smart
                           key will run. This is the same as pressing
                           the (Alt) key and the appropriate number or
                           function key to invoke a smart key.

              View Memo    Clicking the Left Button on the View memo
                           option displays your memo field data. This
                           is the same as pressing (Alt)V.

              Erase this Mouse menu
                           Clicking the Left Button on this option
                           clears the mouse menu off your screen.















                                                                     35

              USING THE MOUSE
              _________________________________________________________




















































              36                                                PC-File

                                             SELECTING FILES AND FIELDS
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 7

                             SELECTING FILES AND FIELDS


              PC-File allows you to use several different methods to
              select a file or field from its menus. You can use the
              method you like best.


              7.1  SELECTING FILES


              There are various times when you need to tell PC-File
              which file to use. For example, when you start PC-File,
              you need to select the database file to use, and you must
              tell PC-File which report, letter or graph to use when
              printing.

              PC-File shows you a list of appropriate files to choose
              from. You can use one of four methods:

                 1.  Type the file name in the blank field provided and
                     press (F10).

                 2.  Type the number to the left of the file name in
                     the blank field provided and press (F10).

                 3.  Move the cursor to the number next to the file
                     name and press (F10).

                 4.  Using the mouse, move the cursor to the file name
                     and click the left button once.

              A maximum of 83 files are shown. If you have more than 83
              files in your directory and the file you need is not
              listed, you can type the name of the file in the blank
              field provided.





                                                                     37

              SELECTING FILES AND FIELDS
              _________________________________________________________



              7.2  SELECTING FIELDS


              Many of the PC-File functions allow you to select fields.
              When PC-File wants you to select a field, you are shown a
              list of the fields in the current database. You can
              select the field using one of the following methods:

                 1.  Type the field name in the blank field provided
                     and press (F10). (You don't even have to type the
                     whole name - just enough of the name to uniquely
                     identify it. For example, if the field is
                     DEPARTMENT, and no other field name begins with
                     DEP, you could type DEP).

                 2.  Type the number to the left of the field name in
                     the blank field provided and press (F10). For
                     example, if DEPARTMENT is field number 5, type 5
                     and press (F10).

                 3.  Move the cursor down to the number next to the
                     field name and press (F10).

                 4.  Using the mouse, move the cursor to the field name
                     and click the left button once.

                 5.  Type the field name, followed by the starting
                     position and number of positions to select, and
                     press (F10).

                     To select a portion of a field, use the following
                     convention:

                     fieldname,starting position,number of positions

                     For example, the field PHONE contains phone
                     numbers entered in the following format,
                     206-454-0479. If you want to select only the phone
                     number and not the area code, type:

                     PHONE,5,8

                     This tells PC-File to select the information in
                     the PHONE field starting at the fifth character,
                     selecting eight characters.




              38                                                PC-File

                                             SELECTING FILES AND FIELDS
              _________________________________________________________



                     This method for selecting a portion of a field can
                     be used in a command to print a field in a report
                     or letter, and when selecting a field to sort,
                     export, clone and compare for duplicate records.
                     It cannot be used in complex searches or
                     relational lookups.











































                                                                     39

              SELECTING FILES AND FIELDS
              _________________________________________________________




















































              40                                                PC-File

                                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 8

                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR


              When you are using PC-File, you will sometimes be taken
              into the built-in editor. This usually happens when
              you're being asked to draw or paint something, such as a
              report or a screen layout or to edit a memo field.

              The editor allows you to type characters into a window.
              The screen scrolls up, down, left and right so that you
              can always see what you're typing. The data you are
              typing can be much wider and longer than the actual
              screen on your computer.


              8.1  WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN


              You need to be able to recognize the editing window when
              you see it on the screen. Although it may vary in size
              and location on the screen, it's easy to recognize.
              Here's an editing window:



















                                                                     41

              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                         [graphic N:\manual\EDITOR1.EPS goes








                      here] 



                            Figure 8.1: An Editing Window



              There are several things that can tip you off to the fact
              that you're dealing with an editing window:

                    The row and column indicators in the lower right
                     corner of the window.

                     See the r:1 c:1? The number after the r: is the
                     row within the editor where the cursor is
                     currently located. The number after the c: is the
                     column within the editor where the cursor is
                     currently located. As the cursor moves inside the
                     editor, these numbers are instantly updated.

                    The document size indicators on the upper bar of
                     the window.

                     See the 465:70 on the upper bar? These numbers
                     represent the actual size of the current window.
                     The editing window may only be showing a small
                     part of the actual page. The first number (465 in
                     the example above) tells how many rows (lines) are
                     in the page. The second number (70 in the example
                     above) tells how many columns are in the page (how
                     wide it is.) The window size varies for different
                     features.

                    The abbreviated function key menu on the bottom
                     bar of the window. This may not be present on




              42                                                PC-File

                                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                     one-line windows, such as the complex search
                     window.


              8.2  MOVING THE CURSOR AND SCROLLING


              The four arrow keys move the cursor inside the editing
              window. Likewise, you can use the (PgUp), (PgDn), (Home),
              (End) and (Tab) keys. There is a summary of all available
              editor keys at the end of this chapter.


              8.3  FUNCTION KEYS


              The function keys play an important role with the built-
              in editor. The list that follows provides more details on
              what you can do with the function keys.

              Note: Some of these keys have different functions when
              you're not in the editor

              (F5) - DELETE LINE
                           Putting the cursor on a line and pressing
                           (F5) deletes the entire line and moves the
                           remaining lines up.

              (F6) - ERASE RIGHT
                           (F6) deletes the character at the cursor and
                           all characters to the right on the current
                           line.

              (F10) - DONE Press this key when you're through providing
                           information to the editor. It means you're
                           happy with what you have entered, and want
                           all of the text to be accepted for use by
                           PC-File.

              (F3) - MENU  Pressing (F3) brings up the Editor Menu.
                           Here's a list of the options in the Editor
                           Menu:

                               -  (A)uto-wrap toggle
                               -  (B)lock mark
                               -  (C)lear to line end



                                                                     43

              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                               -  (D)elete line
                               -  (E)rase to eof
                               -  (L)ine/s mark
                               -  (M)ark operations
                               -  (N)ext word
                               -  (P)rev word
                               -  (R)eformat
                               -  (S)plit line
                               -  (U)nmark
                               -  (W)hoops
                               -  e(X)it menu

              There are two ways to select a command from the Editor
              Menu.

                 1.  Press the character displayed in parentheses for
                     the desired option. You can do this regardless of
                     which option is highlighted.

                 2.  Use the arrow keys to move the highlight bar to
                     the option you want to select, then press (Enter).

              After you become more experienced with the editor, you
              may want to use the menu commands directly, without
              having to first bring up the menu. Most of the commands
              in the Editor menu can be invoked directly, using the
              keys listed below.

                                            Direct Command
                   (A)uto-wrap toggle       (Ctrl)A
                   (B)lock mark             (Ctrl)B
                   (C)lear to line end      (F6)
                   (D)elete line            (F5)
                   (E)rase to end of file   (Ctrl)E
                   (L)ine/s mark            (Ctrl)L
                   (M)ark operations        see other commands below
                   (N)ext word              (Ctrl)(right-arrow)
                   (P)rev word              (Ctrl)(left-arrow)
                   (R)eformat               (Ctrl)R
                   (S)plit line             (Ctrl)\
                   (U)nmark                 (Ctrl)U
                   (W)hoops                 (Ctrl)W

              Here's a summary of what each Editor Menu command does:





              44                                                PC-File

                                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



              (A)uto-wrap toggle - (Ctrl)A
                           Auto-wrap means that the editor will move an
                           entire word down to the next line if you key
                           past the right margin.  The Auto-wrap toggle
                           turns auto-wrapping on if it is off, and it
                           turns auto-wrapping off if it is on. You
                           usually want auto-wrap on when you are
                           keying in text. Sometimes it's better to
                           have it off, for example, when you are
                           keying in tabular data or editing a command
                           report.

              (B)lock mark - (Ctrl)B
                           The block mark command marks one corner of a
                           block of text, in preparation for a Mark
                           operation (see below). To mark a block of
                           text, use Block mark twice. First, move the
                           cursor to one corner of the block to be
                           marked, and mark that spot. A small square
                           is placed on the screen to highlight the
                           spot you have marked. Then, move the cursor
                           to the diagonally opposite corner and mark
                           that spot. When you make this second mark,
                           the entire block you have marked is
                           highlighted. The marked block is now ready
                           for a Mark operation.

              (C)lear to line end - (F6)
                           The characters at the cursor and to the
                           right on the line are deleted.

              (D)elete line - (F5)
                           Putting the cursor on a line and pressing
                           (F5) deletes the entire line and moves the
                           remaining lines up.

              (E)rase to end of file - (Ctrl)E
                           This command erases everything from the
                           cursor location all the way to the end of
                           the document.

              (L)ine/s mark - (Ctrl)L
                           Line marking is another way to mark a block
                           of text for subsequent Mark operations (see
                           below). To mark a line, move the cursor to
                           it and issue the line mark command. The



                                                                     45

              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                           entire line is highlighted. If multiple
                           adjacent lines are to be treated as one
                           large block, you can move the cursor up or
                           down across the other lines in the block to
                           the far end of the group, and then issue the
                           line mark command a second time. This time,
                           the entire group of lines is highlighted.
                           The marked area is now ready for a Mark
                           operation.

              (M)ark operations
                           The Mark operations command operates on a
                           marked block of text (see Line/s mark and
                           Block mark above.) After you have marked a
                           block of text, you are ready for one of the
                           following operations:

                           Copy - (Ctrl)C
                                     The marked area is copied to the
                                     cursor location (and also remains
                                     in its original location).

                           Delete - (Ctrl)D
                                     The marked area is deleted.

                           Fill - (Ctrl)F
                                     The marked area is completely
                                     filled with a character you
                                     select.

                           Lowercase The text in the marked area is
                                     changed to lower case.

                           Move - (Ctrl)M
                                     The marked area is moved to the
                                     cursor location (and deleted from
                                     its previous location).

                           Overlay - (Ctrl)O
                                     The marked area is overlaid at the
                                     current cursor position. The
                                     previous data is lost.

                           Reformat - (Ctrl)R
                                     All of the words within the marked
                                     area are adjusted to fill the



              46                                                PC-File

                                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                                     marked area properly, with one
                                     space between each word.

                           Uppercase The text in the marked area is
                                     changed to upper case.

              (N)ext word - (Ctrl)(right-arrow)
                           The cursor is moved to the beginning of the
                           next word (to the right).

              (P)rev word - (Ctrl)(left-arrow)
                           The cursor is moved to the beginning of the
                           previous word (to the left).

              (R)eformat - (Ctrl)R
                           The paragraph is reformatted (words are
                           adjusted to the left and right margins, with
                           one space between each word). A paragraph is
                           defined as text that is bound on the top and
                           bottom by a blank line. If a block is
                           highlighted, the blocked text is reformatted
                           to the block margins.

              (S)plit line - (Ctrl)\
                           The line is physically split at the cursor
                           location. All text at the cursor location
                           and beyond is moved down one line and to the
                           left of the screen.

                           Note: This operation is also handy for
                           inserting a blank line at the top of the
                           document. Just move the cursor to the
                           beginning of the document, then issue the
                           Split line command.

              (U)nmark - (Ctrl)U
                           The marked block is unmarked (the
                           highlighting is removed). When you are
                           finished with Mark operations on a block of
                           text, you can unmark it with this command.
                           You need to unmark one block before you can
                           mark a second one.

              (W)hoops - (Ctrl)W
                           The Whoops command is used to recall
                           previous copies of lines. Whenever you



                                                                     47

              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                           change or delete a line or block of text,
                           the old copy is remembered for you.  Issuing
                           the Whoops command will bring back the old
                           copy of the last line you changed, in case
                           you need it to recover from mistakes.


              8.4  SUMMARY OF VALID EDITING KEYSTROKES


              Cursor control keys

              (Ctrl)(End)  Move to lower left corner of current window
              (Ctrl)(Home) Move to upper left corner of current window
              (Ctrl)(left arrow)
                           Move to beginning of previous word
              (Ctrl)(PgDn) Move to left of last line of data
              (Ctrl)(PgUp) Move to left of first line of data
              (Ctrl)(right arrow)
                           Move to beginning of next word
              down arrow   Move down one line if not at end
              (End)        Move to the right of last character of
                           current line
              (Home)       Move to first character of current line
              left arrow   Move one position to left
              (PgDn)       Scroll down one screen
              (PgUp)       Scroll up one screen
              right arrow  Move one position to right
              (Shift)(Tab) Tab to the left 8 spaces
              (Tab)        Tab to the right 8 spaces
              up arrow     Move up one line if not at top


              Commands

              (Ctrl)\      Split line at cursor
              (Ctrl)A      Toggle automatic word wrapping
              (Ctrl)B      Mark corner of block
              (Ctrl)C      Copy marked area (to below cursor)
              (Ctrl)D      Delete marked area
              (Ctrl)E      Erase from cursor line to end of document
              (Ctrl)F      Fill marked area with selected character
              (Ctrl)L      Mark line or block
              (Ctrl)M      Move marked block
              (Ctrl)O      Overlay marked block




              48                                                PC-File

                                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



              (Ctrl)R      Reformat marked block. If no marked block,
                           reformat current paragraph
              (Ctrl)U      Unmark the marked block
              (Ctrl)V      Enable / disable "whoops" key
              (Ctrl)W      "Whoops" - recall previously changed data
              (Enter)      Insert a blank line below the current line
                           and move the cursor to the new line
              (Esc)        Exit from editor or insert ESC character in
                           text
              (F3)         Bring up command menu box
              (F5)         Delete current line
              (F6)         Erase from cursor to end of line
              (F10)        Exit and save all changes
              backspace    Delete the character to the left
              (Del)        Delete character under cursor
              (Ins)        Toggles insert mode on and off; cursor
                           changes shape


              8.5  KEYING IN SPECIAL ASCII CHARACTERS


              You may want to key in some of the special characters
              that aren't on the keyboard, such as special lines for
              boxes, or a character from the greek character set.

              You can key in any character you wish from the keyboard.
              While holding down the (Alt) key, type in the ASCII
              decimal value of the character desired, using the numeric
              keypad on the right side of the keyboard, then release
              the (Alt) key.

              For example, the mathematical symbol for square root is
              ASCII value 251. To key this character onto the screen,
              hold down the (Alt) key and using the numeric keypad at
              the right side of the keyboard, strike the digits 2 5 1.
              Then, release the (Alt) key.

              You can include boxes on the data entry screen when you
              define or clone the database using the Paint option, and
              when you use the Utilities, Alter Data Entry Screen Text
              command. An easy way to draw a box on your data entry
              screen is to first use the instructions above to key in
              the characters for the four corners of the box.  After
              you have placed the four corner characters at the
              appropriate place on the screen, mark the spaces on the



                                                                     49

              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



              line between two of the corners using (Ctrl)B.  Then
              press (Ctrl)F to fill the marked area.  When PC-File asks
              you to select the fill character, using the (Alt) key and
              numeric keypad, key in the ASCII decimal value of the
              character for the line between the two corners.  Repeat
              this process until you have created the four sides of a
              box.

              Below are two sets of boxes showing the ASCII decimal
              values of the characters used to create the boxes.


                          [graphic N:\manual\box1.EPS goes














                 here] 





















              50                                                PC-File

                                              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________



                          [graphic N:\manual\box2.EPS goes














                 here] 

































                                                                     51

              USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR
              _________________________________________________________




















































              52                                                PC-File

                                                     PC-FILE DATA FILES
              _________________________________________________________









                                      Chapter 9

                                 PC-FILE DATA FILES


              Understanding how dBASE files work will help you to
              understand the many features and options provided by PC-
              File.


              9.1  WHY DOES PC-FILE USE DBASE FILES?


              There are many reasons for the decision to use the dBASE
              file structure. Primary among them is the overwhelming
              popularity of dBASE itself. It has become so common that
              it is a standard file format in the PC world.

              By adopting the dBASE file format, we are able to offer
              you the following advantages:

                    The files that you create with PC-File can also be
                     used by dBASE and other dBASE compatible programs.
                     This means that your files can be accessed by you
                     or by others who desire to use dBASE or one of
                     many other dBASE compatible programs.

                    Files that are created by dBASE or other dBASE
                     compatible programs can be used directly by PC-
                     File. You can receive files from others and
                     immediately use them without having to learn dBASE
                     or some other programming language.

                    You can produce your own reports on demand,
                     without having to wait for someone else to program
                     the report for you.

                    You get all the advantages of the power and ease
                     of use of the menu driven PC-File, and you gain
                     the advantage of also being able to write your own



                                                                     53

              PC-FILE DATA FILES
              _________________________________________________________



                     file access programs (by using dBASE or one of the
                     other popular dBASE compatible programs).


              9.2  WHAT ARE DBASE FILES?


              DBF Files    dBASE keeps most of its data in a file that
                           has the extension DBF. Also in the DBF file
                           is "header" information: information about
                           the field names, field types, and data
                           lengths for each of the fields in the
                           database. PC-File uses a DBF file in the
                           same way. This file can be accessed either
                           by dBASE or by PC-File.

              NDX Files    When you build an index for your file, it is
                           kept in a file that has the extension NDX.
                           The NDX file contains the index entries, or
                           "keys" for each record in the database,
                           along with a number that tells where the
                           actual data is located in the DBF file.
                           Think of the index file as the sequence that
                           the data is in. For example, an index on
                           LASTNAME will show you records from the DBF
                           file in LASTNAME sequence.

                           NDX files are optional files in dBASE. At
                           least one NDX file is required by PC-File.
                           So, when PC-File first discovers a dBASE
                           file it may ask which field to index and the
                           name of the index. After you provide the
                           field name, PC-File will build an NDX file
                           so that it can use the database.

                           Indexes are used to arrange your database in
                           a specific order and to speed up searches on
                           the indexed field. For example, in addition
                           to your LASTNAME index, you might also have
                           a ZIPCODE index.  When you view your
                           database using the ZIPCODE index, you will
                           see records in ascending sequence on
                           ZIPCODE.  When you view your database using
                           the LASTNAME index, you will see records in
                           ascending sequence on LASTNAME.  The data in
                           the DBF file doesn't change. It's just that



              54                                                PC-File

                                                     PC-FILE DATA FILES
              _________________________________________________________



                           the index file causes the data to be
                           retrieved in a different sequence.

                           In PC-File you can have up to 9 different
                           indexes for the same database. Each index is
                           maintained in its own proper sequence. If
                           you modify a record, add records or delete
                           records, each of the indexes will also be
                           changed so that the proper sequence is
                           maintained.

                           Indexes require extra space on your disk.
                           You should also be aware that when you key
                           data into your database, extra indexes also
                           cause extra computing time (to maintain each
                           index in its proper sequence.) So, you
                           should not create more index files than are
                           actually needed. For most purposes, one to
                           two indexes per database is sufficient.

                           With PC-File, it's very easy to build a new
                           index on demand. You can also quickly switch
                           the active index to any of the available
                           ones. Deleting an index is also easy to do.

              DBT Files    If you have one or more memo fields in your
                           database, the memo data is kept in a file
                           with the extension DBT. PC-File never uses
                           more than one DBT file per database. If you
                           have multiple memo fields in your database,
                           all of the memo data is kept in the same DBT
                           file. The DBT file always has the same name
                           as the corresponding DBF file. Thus, for the
                           EMPLOYEE database, there is a file called
                           EMPLOYEE.DBF and, if there are any memo
                           fields, a file called EMPLOYEE.DBT.

                           When compared to regular character fields,
                           memo fields have advantages and
                           disadvantages. Here's why:

                           Every memo that you create occupies at least
                           512 bytes on the disk. Then, if your memo is
                           larger than 512 bytes, a second 512 bytes is
                           required. And on it goes, in multiples of
                           512 bytes. You can see that for a lot of



                                                                     55

              PC-FILE DATA FILES
              _________________________________________________________



                           small memos, you will quickly use up a lot
                           of disk space. But, for a few large memos,
                           this is a very efficient way to store the
                           data. No space is occupied at all if there
                           is not a memo for the particular record.

                           How can you know whether to create a memo
                           field, or just a large data field? Here are
                           some general guidelines:

                                 If the field will always contain 65
                                  characters or less, make it a
                                  character field.

                                 If the field size is between 65 and
                                  254 characters, only make it a memo
                                  field if it is infrequently used. If
                                  every record in the database will
                                  have data in this field, make it a
                                  window field.

                                 If the field is larger than 254
                                  characters, it has to be a memo
                                  field. The maximum length of a memo
                                  field is 5000 characters.

                           An advantage to using memo fields with PC-
                           File over dBASE is that PC-File can search
                           for data in memo fields, whereas dBASE
                           cannot.

              HDB Files    PC-File keeps another type of file which is
                           not recognized by dBASE. This is the HDB
                           file. The HDB file is used by PC-File to
                           contain other information about your
                           database, which cannot be kept in the DBF
                           file, including the current index, the next
                           unique number, edit masks, constants, field
                           calculations, and a picture of your data
                           entry screen.









              56                                                PC-File

                                                     PC-FILE DATA FILES
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              9.3  DELETED RECORDS AND PACKING FILES


              When you delete a record from your database, PC-File
              places a special mark in the record. Nothing is actually
              deleted. This makes it possible to undelete the record at
              a later time. PC-File has a special undelete command
              which allows you to locate all the deleted records and
              selectively undelete them.

              A problem here is that deleted records stay in the
              database and occupy space on the disk. In dBASE, you have
              to run a time consuming "pack" operation to recover the
              deleted space. PC-File gets around this problem by
              keeping track of the locations of deleted records. Then,
              when you add a record, one of the deleted records will be
              overwritten with the newly added record. Thus, when using
              PC-File, you may never need to do a pack operation.

              If you do need to pack your database, a separate program
              is provided by PC-File called PCPACK. See Chapter 39,
              "Packing the Database" for information on this program.



























                                                                     57

              PC-FILE DATA FILES
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              58                                                PC-File

                                                          USING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________









                                    USING PC-FILE










































                                                                     59

              USING PC-FILE
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              60                                                PC-File

                                                       STARTING PC-FILE
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                                     Chapter 10

                                  STARTING PC-FILE


              To start PC-File, you need to change to the subdirectory
              which contains the PC-File program. At the DOS prompt,
              type:

                   CD  \PCFDB

              and press (Enter). If you installed PC-File to a
              different subdirectory, replace PCFDB in the example
              above with the name of the appropriate subdirectory. If
              the PC-File subdirectory is included in your DOS PATH
              statement, you can skip this step.

              To start PC-File, type:

                   PCF

              and press (Enter).

              PC-File displays the start-up screen. At the bottom of
              the screen, PC-File asks "Which drive for the Database
              (A-Z)". Press (Enter) to accept the current answer, or
              type the letter of the disk drive where your database is
              or will be stored.

              Next, PC-File asks you to enter the path containing the
              database. Press (Enter) to accept the current answer, or
              type the name of the subdirectory to use, then press
              (Enter).

              After entering the path, two things happen.

                 1.  PC-File adapts to any existing dBASE files.

                     When PC-File adapts to a dBASE data file, an HDB
                     or header file is created. The header file



                                                                     61

              STARTING PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



                     contains information about each field, and the
                     design of your entry screen. The header file is
                     used only by PC-File. When PC-File adapts to a
                     dBASE file, you must select one field to index.
                     You can index other fields later.

                 2.  You then select an existing database to use, or
                     define a new database.

                     If the drive and path indicated contain database
                     files, you are shown a list of the databases.
                     Descriptions for each database are displayed next
                     to the database name.  To use an existing
                     database, type the database name in the blank
                     field provided, then press (F10). To define a new
                     database, type a new database name in the blank
                     field provided, then press (F10).

                     If there are no databases on the drive and path
                     indicated, you are asked to enter a name for the
                     new database to define. Enter the name for the new
                     database, then press (F10).

              If you select an existing database, PC-File loads the
              database and displays the Master Menu. Follow the
              instructions in Chapter 11, "Defining a New Database" to
              define a new database.






















              62                                                PC-File

                                                DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
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                                     Chapter 11

                               DEFINING A NEW DATABASE


              Before you define a database, you should be familiar with
              some terms and guidelines.


              11.1  TERMS AND GUIDELINES


              Number of Fields
                           The maximum number of fields allowed in a
                           PC-File database is 128.

              Number of Data Entry Screens
                           The maximum number of data entry screens
                           allowed is 5.

              Maximum Number of Characters in a Record
                           The maximum number of characters in a record
                           (excluding memo fields) is 4000.

              Field Names  When selecting a name for a field, keep the
                           following rules in mind:

                                 A field name cannot be longer than 12
                                  characters.

                                 The only characters allowed in a
                                  field name are letters, numbers and
                                  the underscore character. Upper and
                                  lowercase letters are treated the
                                  same in field names. Spaces are not
                                  allowed. If you need to separate
                                  characters in a field name, use the
                                  underscore character. For example,
                                  LAST NAME and LAST~NAME are not
                                  valid, but LAST_NAME is.



                                                                     63

              DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
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                                 The field name cannot start with a
                                  number.

                           Note: Previous versions of PC-File used the
                           # sign to indicate numeric fields. The # is
                           no longer a valid character. You now
                           indicate that a field is numeric by the
                           field type.

              Field Types  The field type determines the kind of data
                           that a field contains. PC-File supports five
                           different field types:

                           Character Most fields are of this type. The
                                     data in character fields can be
                                     any valid ASCII character with an
                                     ASCII decimal value greater than
                                     31. Typical character fields are
                                     names, addresses, phone numbers
                                     and descriptions.

                           Numeric   Numeric fields contain numeric
                                     values. Numeric fields can contain
                                     numbers, the decimal point, and
                                     the minus sign. Typical numeric
                                     fields are quantities, dollar
                                     amounts, and statistical data.

                                     Just because a field contains
                                     numbers does not mean it should be
                                     a numeric field. As a general
                                     rule, if using the data in a
                                     calculation would be meaningless,
                                     you should make the field a
                                     character field. For example, a
                                     field for phone numbers will
                                     contain only numbers and a minus
                                     sign, but calculations performed
                                     on phone numbers would be
                                     meaningless. If you enter
                                     206-555-1212 in a numeric field,
                                     PC-File converts this to a value
                                     of 206.






              64                                                PC-File

                                                DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
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                                     Note: Blank numeric fields are not
                                     valid. PC-File displays 0 in any
                                     numeric fields left blank.

                                     You can't define numeric fields
                                     with a length of one. You must
                                     define these as character fields.

                           Date      Date fields can only contain valid
                                     dates. Typical date fields are
                                     birth dates, expiration dates, and
                                     due dates. Date fields must be 8
                                     characters in length. Dates can be
                                     entered in a Date field in one of
                                     two formats: YYYYMMDD or MM/DD/YY.
                                     For example, you can enter the
                                     date January 5, 1990 as 19900105
                                     or 01/05/90. PC-File displays the
                                     date in the format MM/DD/YY, but
                                     stores the date in the database
                                     file in the format YYYYMMDD. Only
                                     dates in the 20th century are
                                     valid (i.e., 1900, 1901, 1989,
                                     1990, 1999).

                           Logical   Logical fields are one character
                                     long and can only contain the
                                     characters T for True, F for
                                     False, Y for Yes and N for No.

                           Memo      Memo fields are a type of
                                     character field. They are used to
                                     store large amounts of text. The
                                     maximum size of a memo field is
                                     5000 characters.

                                     Memo field data is stored in a
                                     separate file. The memo file
                                     stores the data in 512 character
                                     blocks. If there is no data in the
                                     memo field, nothing will be stored
                                     in the memo file. Refer to Chapter
                                     9, "PC-File Data Files" for
                                     guidelines on using memo fields.





                                                                     65

              DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
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                           PC-File also supports automatic fields and
                           calculated fields. You can have data
                           automatically supplied for you, or
                           calculated based on a numerical, date or
                           relational calculation. Refer to Chapter 30,
                           "Alter Field Name, Mask, Const, Calc" for
                           more information.

              Field Lengths
                           PC-File distinguishes between field lengths
                           and display lengths.

                           The field length is the total number of
                           characters the field can contain. The
                           maximum length for non-memo fields is 254
                           characters. The maximum length for memo
                           fields is 5000 characters.

                           If your database contains numeric fields,
                           you need to indicate how many decimal places
                           each field should have. PC-File always
                           formats the data to the number of decimal
                           places specified.

                           The display length is the number of
                           characters of a field that are actually
                           shown on the data entry screen at one time.
                           The display length cannot be more than 65
                           characters.

                           If the display length is less than the field
                           length, the field is called a "window
                           field". It's as if you were looking at the
                           field through a window, only able to see
                           part of the data at any moment. To see other
                           portions of a window field, you move the
                           cursor left or right in the field, which
                           moves the visual window across the data. In
                           memo fields, you can press (Ctrl)E or (Alt)V
                           to display multiple lines.


              Index Fields Index files are used to re-arrange your
                           records in a specific order. For example, an
                           ascending index on the ZIPCODE field
                           arranges the records in zip code order



              66                                                PC-File

                                                DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                           beginning at 00000 increasing to 99999,
                           while a LAST_NAME index arranges the records
                           alphabetically by last name, from AABLE to
                           ZYLSTRA.

                           PC-File automatically updates the index
                           files when you add, modify and delete
                           records. When you switch from one index to
                           another, the database will be in a different
                           order, based on the current index field.

                           PC-File allows up to 9 index files per
                           database. The maximum number of characters
                           which can be indexed in one file is 100.
                           Memo fields cannot be indexed.

                           For most databases, one or two indexes is
                           sufficient. When selecting fields to index,
                           choose fields you want to be ordered
                           alphabetically or numerically, and fields
                           you will use to find records. PC-File can
                           search fields which are indexed faster than
                           fields which are not indexed. For example,
                           in a name and address database, you might
                           only want to index on the LAST_NAME and the
                           ZIP_CODE fields. Indexing on STREET is
                           probably not necessary because you will
                           usually not search for records using the
                           street address, nor do you want the database
                           to be arranged by street address.


              11.2  DEFINING YOUR DATABASE


              To define a new database, start PC-File. Enter the drive
              and path to contain the database. When PC-File asks you
              to select a database, type the name for the new database
              on the blank line and press (F10). PC-File will ask you
              if you want to define the database. Press Y.

              Next, PC-File will offer you two different options for
              defining your database, the Fast method and the Paint
              method.





                                                                     67

              DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



              The Fast method is the quickest way to define your
              database. You'll place the field names in their relative
              locations on the screen. Then you'll give each field a
              length.

              The Paint method lets you "draw" each field name and
              location on an empty screen. You can include descriptive
              text, boxes or other helpful markings for the operator.

              The method you choose depends on the database you will
              define. If the database will contain more than 21 fields,
              or if it will contain several fields on a line, you will
              probably want to define the database using the Paint
              method. The Paint method is
              more flexible than the Fast method.

              You must choose the paint method if your database will
              have more than one data entry screen. The Fast method is
              only designed to allow definition of a single data entry
              screen per record.

              11.2.1  The Fast Method

              If you select the Fast method of defining your database,
              PC-File displays the following screen:
























              68                                                PC-File

                                                DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                          [graphic N:\manual\FAST1.EPS goes

















                      here] 



                      Figure 11.1: Fast Method of Screen Design



              Type the field names in the order you want them to appear
              on the screen. After you have typed all of the field
              names, press (F10).

              Next, PC-File needs to know the display length of each
              field. Remember, the display length for each field is the
              number of characters to display on the data entry screen.
              The maximum display length is 65. Later, you'll be able
              to enter the field lengths for any window fields. After
              you have defined the display length for each field, press
              (F10).

              To continue, refer to the section below called "Remaining
              Questions".

              11.2.2  The Paint Method

              If you select the paint method, you will be asked if you
              want to start with an existing picture. If you have
              another database which is similar to the one you are



                                                                     69

              DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



              defining, you can answer Y. This allows you to modify the
              data entry screen(s) of another database, making any
              changes for the new database. The original database will
              not be changed. After telling PC-File you want to start
              with an existing picture, select the database to use.

              PC-File now displays the data entry screens. If you are
              starting with an existing picture, the data entry screens
              of the selected database are displayed. If you are not
              starting with an existing picture, the data entry screens
              are blank:




                         [graphic N:\manual\PAINT1.EPS goes

















                      here] 



                   Figure 11.2: The Paint Method of Screen Design



              You are allowed up to five data entry screens for the
              database. If you can fit all of the data on a single
              screen, users of your database will usually find this
              most convenient. But if you need more than one screen to




              70                                                PC-File

                                                DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



              organize the data, go ahead and design additional screens
              up to the maximum of five.

              Use the (PgUp), (PgDn), and cursor up/down arrows to move
              from one screen to the next in the design window.

              For each data entry screen, you are allowed a maximum of
              20 display rows.

              You now draw the data entry screens. Type the field names
              where you want them to appear. Use square brackets [ ] to
              mark the field boundaries. The left square bracket marks
              the beginning of the field and the right square bracket
              marks the end of the field. The number of spaces between
              the brackets equals the display length. For example, if
              you want a display length of 25, you would put 25 spaces
              between the brackets. The left bracket cannot be placed
              in column 1. Field names should be to the left of the
              left square bracket. If you want default data to appear
              inside the data markers, go ahead and put it there.
              Miscellaneous text can appear anywhere.

              If you place pairs of brackets without field names to the
              left, like ACCOUNT, DESCRIPTION and AMOUNT in the figure
              below, the program assigns the field name NoName1 to the
              first such field, NoName2 to the second and so on. These
              names do not appear on the entry screen, but are used
              internally to reference the fields. If you want to assign
              them names that are appropriate to their function in the
              database, such as ACCOUNT1, ACCOUNT2, etc., use the
              Utilities, Name command. Refer to the chapter "Alter
              Field Name, Mask, Const, Calc" for more information.

              The maximum number of characters you can use for the
              display length for a field is 65. When painting the
              screen for database with window and memo fields, use the
              [ ] characters to mark the display length. You define the
              actual length of window fields later. Memo fields are
              automatically assigned a length of 5000.

              Here's an example of a painted screen:








                                                                     71

              DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                         [graphic N:\manual\PAINT2.EPS goes

















                      here] 



                            Figure 11.3: A Painted Screen



              After painting the data entry screens, press (F10) to
              continue.

              Note: Refer to the chapter "Using the Built-in Editor"
              for more information on drawing boxes.

              11.2.3  Remaining Questions

              After defining the field names and lengths using the Fast
              method, or painting the data entry screen using the Paint
              method, you are asked to enter the data type for each
              field. See the discussion above on field types. Enter C
              for Character fields, N for Numeric fields, D for Date
              fields, L for Logical fields, or M for Memo fields. Press
              (F10) after entering a field type for each field.

              Next, you are asked if the database contains any window
              fields. If you want to define window fields, press Y.
              Select the field you want to be a window field. The
              display length is then shown, and you are asked to enter



              72                                                PC-File

                                                DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



              the field length. Remember, the field length is the total
              number of characters the field can contain. Type the
              field length and press (Enter). PC-File asks you to
              select the next field to be a window field. Continue
              selecting the fields you want for window fields and
              entering their field lengths. When you have selected all
              of the window fields, press (F10) without selecting a
              field.

              Note: Memo fields are not considered window fields. If
              you indicate that a field is a memo field, it is
              automatically assigned a length of 5000.

              Next, you are asked if you want to change the sequence in
              which fields are accessed when adding or modifying
              records. Normally, you will want the cursor to move in
              the order that you entered the fields, i.e., left to
              right, top to bottom. If so, press N. However, if you
              want to change the order that the cursor will move, press
              Y. Number the fields accordingly, then press (F10).

              Now you need to indicate which fields you want indexed.
              Type X next to each field you want indexed. You can index
              up to 9 fields per database. Most databases will only
              have one or two indexes. Memo fields cannot be indexed.
              After selecting the fields to index, PC-File asks for the
              name of each index file and the index type. Make sure you
              use a unique name for the index file. You cannot have
              more than one index file with the same name.

              Next, PC-File prompts you to give a file description for
              your new database. The file description is optional and
              is displayed next to the database name when you choose a
              database.

              After you enter the file description, PC-File creates the
              new database and takes you to the Master Menu.












                                                                     73

              DEFINING A NEW DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________




















































              74                                                PC-File

                                                        THE MASTER MENU
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 12

                                   THE MASTER MENU


              When you work in PC-File you will be working from the
              Master Menu Screen. Here's what that screen looks like:




                          [graphic N:\manual\MENU1.EPS goes

















                      here] 



                         Figure 12.1: The Master Menu Screen



              You may perform any of the functions on the Master Menu
              by pushing the appropriate function key shown. Or, you
              can type the one-character command code (indicated by the



                                                                     75

              THE MASTER MENU
              _________________________________________________________



              capitalized letter in each command). Another way is to
              move the highlight bar up or down (using the cursor
              movement keys) to the command you want, and press
              (Enter). You can also use the mouse by moving the cursor
              and clicking the left button.

              For example, to add a new record to the database, you may
              press (F1), or type A, or move the highlight bar to the
              "Add a record" line and press (Enter). Some people like
              function keys. Some learn the names of the commands more
              easily and prefer to type the character. Some prefer
              highlight bar access. PC-File lets you suit yourself!





































              76                                                PC-File

                                                         ADDING RECORDS
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                                     Chapter 13

                                   ADDING RECORDS


              To add records to your database, press (F1) or type A
              when viewing the Master Menu. You can also add a record
              while viewing another record in the Find command.


              13.1  ENTERING THE DATA


              Enter your data, using the cursor keys to access any
              field on the screen. Use (PgUp) and (PgDn) to move
              between entry screens if there's more than one.

              After you've entered all the data for one record, press
              (F10) to add the record to your database. PC-File then
              lets you add another record. If there are no further
              records to add at this time, just press (F10) without
              entering any data. You are returned to the Master Menu.

              There is a maximum of 1 billion records allowed. You must
              have enough disk space to handle the quantity of data in
              your database.

              Note: If the data in a field changes after you press
              (F10), you probably have a calculation in the field. Use
              the Utilities, Name command to view or delete the
              calculation. If the field is a numeric field, PC-File
              converts the data to a value. For example, if you enter
              206-454-0479 in a numeric field, when you press (F10),
              PC-File converts the phone number to a value of 206.
              Fields which will not contain actual numeric values
              should be defined as character fields.

              If PC-File beeps when you type a character in a field it
              is because the field has an edit mask which doesn't allow
              the character. You can use the Utilities, Name command to



                                                                     77

              ADDING RECORDS
              _________________________________________________________



              delete or modify the mask to allow the desired
              character(s). Refer to  the chapter "Alter Field Name,
              Mask, Const, Calc" for more information.


              13.2  THE FLIP DATA CHARACTER


              The tilde character (it looks like this ~) is the "flip
              data" character. When a field with the flip data
              character is printed, all data after the tilde is
              reversed with the data in front of the tilde. That means
              "Jones~Bill" prints as "Bill Jones".

              The flip data feature is provided so you can create
              fields with last names in front of first names (so that
              they sort correctly on the last name) and still print out
              nicely. By combining last name and first name into one
              field, you can usually save space (and a field) in the
              database.

              You can press (Alt)O or (Ctrl)O to flip the data in the
              current field when adding or modifying a record. For
              example, if the field contains "Jones~Bill" and you press
              (Alt)O, the data is changed to "Bill Jones". If you press
              (Alt)O again, the data is changed back to "Jones~Bill".


              13.3  THE DUPE KEYS


              Two duplication keys are provided for data entry of
              repetitive information. One duplicates an entire record,
              and the other duplicates the current field.

              13.3.1  Record Duplication

              If you press (Ctrl)D, PC-File duplicates (copies across)
              all of the data from the previously viewed record. Then,
              you can move the cursor to any field that is different
              and change the data before adding the record to the
              database.

              If your database contains automatic entry masks such as
              :DUPE*: or :UNIQUE*:*A, you shouldn't use (Ctrl)D. PC-
              File copies the data from the previously viewed record,



              78                                                PC-File

                                                         ADDING RECORDS
              _________________________________________________________



              overwriting the automatic data. In this case, you should
              use (Ctrl)F (see following section) in all fields that
              don't contain automatic entry masks. you can make this
              process more convenient by using a smart key.

              13.3.2  Field Duplication

              If you press (Ctrl)F, PC-File duplicates the field from
              the previously viewed record into the current field. This
              is handy, for example, if everyone in your database is
              from the same city or state.


              13.4  THE MEMORIZE KEYS


              If you have information in a field that you will enter
              from time to time in other fields or if you want to move
              data from one field to another, you can use (Ctrl)R and
              (Ctrl)W. These keys temporarily store information from a
              field in the memory of your computer. Here's how this
              works:

              Whenever you hold down the (Ctrl) key and press R, all
              the data from the cursor to the end of the current field
              is read into the computer's memory. That data then stays
              in memory and can be re-used again and again, until
              replaced by another (Ctrl)R, or you quit PC-File. (Ctrl)R
              means "Read" the field's data into memory.

              To retrieve what you have stored with (Ctrl)R, just hold
              down the (Ctrl) key again, this time pressing W. Your
              stored data is entered into the field where you've placed
              your cursor. (Ctrl)W means "Write" into the field from
              memory.


              13.5  TYPING IN A MEMO FIELD


              When you move the cursor into a memo field, there are two
              ways to enter the data.

              If you take no special action, data entry proceeds just
              like entering data into any other field. However, because
              the memo field can't be shown entirely in one line on the



                                                                     79

              ADDING RECORDS
              _________________________________________________________



              screen, you'll see data scroll off the left edge of the
              field after your cursor moves to the halfway point.

              If you press (Ctrl)E, which stands for "Ctrl-Edit", the
              editor comes up on your screen, and you can use full
              screen editing to enter the data into the memo field.
              Refer to Chapter 8, "Using the Built-in Editor" for more
              information. Remember, the cursor must be moved to the
              memo field before you press (Ctrl)E. Otherwise, nothing
              will happen. We recommend you use (Ctrl)E so you can
              format the entry as you type.


              13.6  ERROR MESSAGES


              The message "Unsuccessful ADD operation" usually occurs
              when one or more of the indexes is damaged. Use the
              Utilities, Index Operations command to rebuild all of the
              indexes for the database. Refer to the Error Messages
              section for an explanation of other error messages.




























              80                                                PC-File

                                                       FINDING A RECORD
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 14

                                  FINDING A RECORD


              Find is a versatile command that allows you to find what
              you're looking for, and then modify or delete it. The
              default command from the Master Menu is set to F, so all
              you need to do is press (F10), (F2), (Enter) or F to use
              the Find command.

              Because there are many ways to find a record, PC-File
              gives you some options:



                          [graphic N:\manual\find1.eps goes

















                      here] 
                             Figure 14.1: The Find Menu







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              14.1  THE FIND MENU


              These commands allow you to move forward and backward in
              the database. Let's review this menu, one item at a time.
              First, let's start with the group in the middle.

              (A) Add a record
                           Select option A (Add a record) to add
                           records to the database.  This option is not
                           on the main Find menu, but is an option once
                           you have found a record.

              (B) Beginning of File
                           Select option B (Beginning of file) to see
                           the first record in your database. For
                           example, if your database is indexed on
                           LASTNAME, Aabrams might be the first record
                           in the database.

              (E) End of File
                           Select option E (End of file) to see the
                           last record in your database. For example,
                           if your database is indexed on LASTNAME,
                           Zybrinski might be the last record in the
                           database.

              (N) Next Sequential Record
                           Selecting option N (Next record) shows you
                           the next record in sequence. This is the
                           record that follows in sequence the one you
                           most recently viewed, according to the
                           active index. If you just viewed Aabrams,
                           for example, option N might show you Adams.
                           Each time you press N you see the next
                           record in sequence.

              (P) Previous Record
                           Selecting option P (Previous record) shows
                           you the previous, or prior record in
                           sequence. This is the record that precedes
                           in sequence the one you most recently
                           viewed. If you just viewed Zybrinski, option
                           P might show you Zier. Each time you press P
                           you see the preceding record in sequence.




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              (R) Relative Record Number
                           Each record in the database has a sequence
                           number. This is sometimes called relative
                           record number 1, the second is number 2, and
                           so on.

                           If you know the sequence number of the
                           record you want to see, you can select
                           option R (relative record number). PC-File
                           then asks you "What record number to find:".
                           Type in the record number and it is
                           displayed on the screen.

                           Note: Records are not assigned record
                           numbers. The Relative Record Number option
                           is provided so you can position yourself at
                           a particular spot in the database, relative
                           to the current index. For example, if your
                           database has 1000 records, you can go to the
                           middle of the database by telling PC-File to
                           display record 500. If you want your records
                           to contain a fixed "record number", use the
                           :UNIQUE*:*A mask in a field. Refer to the
                           chapter "Alter Field Name, Mask, Const,
                           Calc" for more information.

                           The sequence number is tied to the index
                           being used. For example, a person with
                           LASTNAME Aabrams in ZIPCODE 99813 could be
                           record number 1 if the LASTNAME index is
                           being used, but could be the last record if
                           the ZIPCODE index is being used.

              (+) Browse Forward in File
                           Pressing + starts browsing forward (down) in
                           the database. It's like pressing N for Next,
                           except that instead of seeing just the next
                           record, you see the next screenful of
                           records. Each time you press +, you see the
                           next screenful of records.

                           Note: You can you use the + key on the
                           numeric keypad or the + key (= key) on the
                           top row of the keyboard with or without the
                           Shift key.




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              (-) Browse Backward in File
                           Pressing - starts browsing backwards (up) in
                           the database. It's like pressing P for
                           Previous, except that instead of seeing just
                           the prior record, you see the prior
                           screenful of records. Each time you press -,
                           you see the previous screenful of records.

                           Note: You can use the - key on the numeric
                           keypad or the - key on the top row of the
                           keyboard.

                           Browsing allows you to look at more than one
                           record at a time on your screen. When you
                           browse, PC-File shows you one record per
                           line, a screenful at a time on the screen.

                           If you see a record on the browse screen
                           that you want to view in its entirety, you
                           can move the cursor up the screen into the
                           slot at the left of the desired record. Then
                           press (F10). You are taken immediately out
                           of browse mode and the desired record is
                           displayed on the screen, ready to be viewed,
                           modified or deleted.

                           Since browsing only shows about 70 of the
                           characters in each record at one time, you
                           may wish to move the browsing window to the
                           left or right so that you're viewing a
                           different portion of each record.

                           To move the window to the right by one
                           field, press (Tab). Each time you press
                           (Tab), the browse window moves to the right.

                           Similarly, you can move the browse window to
                           the left. Just hold down (Shift), and press
                           (Tab). This is called (Shift)(Tab). Each
                           time you do this, the browse window moves to
                           the left one field.

                           The fields are displayed in the order they
                           are accessed when adding a record. It is not
                           possible to change the browse order without
                           changing the database sequence.



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                           Note: If you have an EGA or VGA monitor and
                           you have /EGA or /VGA in your profile, PC-
                           File shows more than 20 records per screen.


              14.2  (S) SEARCH FOR DATA (FIND)


              The search option is a very powerful feature of PC-File.
              By using the search option, you can find any record in
              your database.

              You can search on any combination of fields in the
              database. And you can utilize powerful "sounds like"
              searches, "begins with" searches, and "scan across"
              searches in any combination.

              If the search is not too complicated, PC-File
              automatically chooses an index which allows the search to
              be performed as fast as possible.

              You can also tell PC-File whether to perform case
              sensitive or case insensitive searches. Please see
              Chapter 31, "Configuring System Profiles" for more
              information.

              To do a search, select the S (Search for data) option
              from the find menu. You are given three options for the
              method of searching:

                  -  Simple search: you " fill in the blanks"
                  -  Complex search: you type in a formula
                  -  Global search: all fields are looked in


              Here's a brief explanation of the three ways to search:

              SIMPLE       The SIMPLE way. This is powerful enough for
                           most needs and it's very easy to learn and
                           use.

              COMPLEX      The COMPLEX way. You use a powerful search
                           language to find records in the database.
                           The complex search is much more powerful
                           than the simple search, and it also requires
                           you to know how to create a search command.



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              GLOBAL       This search is more accurately called the
                           "Scan across entire record" search.  You
                           enter a search word. Then, PC-File looks at
                           each record in the database, and it looks
                           everywhere in each record for that word.

              14.2.1  Simple Search

              PC-File displays a screen showing each field name
              followed by a data portion for the field filled with
              asterisks. Here's an example:




                         [graphic N:\manual\simple1.eps goes

















                      here] 



                        Figure 14.2: The Simple Search Screen



              This sample shows the simple search screen.  All you need
              to do is enter the information you want to find.

              The ***'s show the end of the data being searched for in
              each field. Enter the data you're searching for in the



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              appropriate field. For example, if you're looking for
              JONES, move the cursor to the LASTNAME field, then type
              JONES and press (F10).

              You can also search in multiple fields simultaneously.
              This is a more selective type of search. If you enter
              search data in multiple fields, all of the data must
              match before the record is considered "found." For
              example, you could enter SMITH into the LASTNAME field,
              JOHN into the FIRSTNAME field, and MILWAUKEE into the
              CITY field. You would then be shown only the John Smiths
              that reside in Milwaukee.

              There are FOUR different ways you can enter the search
              information:

              GENERIC      If you type MIT, records are retrieved only
                           if they start out with "mit" in the field,
                           such as "miter", "mitten", etc. This type of
                           search is fully generic - that is, the
                           records are retrieved if the data field
                           begins with the search data.  You can, for
                           example, find all records with last names
                           that start with "S", or find all records
                           with zip codes starting with "980". You
                           should always use a generic search for
                           numeric information. Since this is the
                           "default" method of searching, you don't
                           have to do anything special to indicate a
                           generic search. If you only want to find
                           occurrences of "MIT" and not "MITTENS",
                           "MITER", etc., follow the "T" with a space.

              SCAN ACROSS  If you precede the data with a tilde, ~ ,
                           PC-File looks for an occurrence of that data
                           anywhere in the field. For example, if you
                           type ~MIT, records are returned which have
                           "Smith", "transmit", "miter", etc. If you
                           only want to find occurrences of data that
                           end in "MIT", follow the "T" with a space.

              SOUNDS-LIKE  Sounds-like searches retrieve records that
                           sound the same as what you're looking for.
                           This is used to find a name when you're
                           uncertain of the spelling. The first
                           character of a sounds-like search must be



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                           the same. For example, you wouldn't be able
                           to find Cranston if you asked for Kranston.

                           You can do a sounds-like search on any
                           Character field in your database. To call
                           for a sounds-like search, put a ? (question
                           mark) in front of the search data. For
                           example, if you enter ?RAWLINS, you'll get
                           back records with "Rollings", "Rollins",
                           "Rawlings" and "Rawlins".

              WILDCARD     A wildcard search finds records which have
                           certain characters appearing in certain
                           fixed positions within a field. Think of the
                           wildcard character as the "I don't care
                           what's at that spot" character. The wildcard
                           character is an underscore (it's uppercase
                           on the minus key on the PC keyboard) and it
                           looks like this _ .

                           When you enter the wildcard character as
                           part of the search string, PC-File accepts
                           any character found in that position. Here's
                           an example:

                           Suppose that the field DEPARTMENT is two
                           positions long and you want to find all
                           departments that have a "B" in the second
                           position. A search for  _  will show records
                           for department 1B, department 2B, department
                           3B, etc.

                           The wildcard character may not be used with
                           sounds-like searches or in Numeric fields.

              Notes: You must use a generic search on numeric fields;
              you cannot use a scan-across search, soundex or wildcard
              search. In addition, you must search for the actual
              value; you cannot search for part of the value. For
              example, if you enter 1 in a numeric field, PC-File only
              finds records where the value in that field is 1, and not
              records where the value starts with 1, like 10, 100, etc.

              When searching on a Date field, you must enter the date
              in the YYYYMMDD or MM/DD/YY format. If you enter dates in
              the MM/DD/YY format, you must include both slashes. For



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              example, if you want to find all records in May of any
              year, you would enter ____05__ or 05/__/__. If you wanted
              to find all records in May, 1990, you would enter
              199005__ or 05/__/90.

              Because of the characters PC-File uses for these types of
              searches, you can't search for the asterisk, question
              mark, tilde or underscore.

              14.2.2  Complex Search

              When you choose to do a complex search, you are given a
              window in which to enter your search command.

              You'll type your search command in this window. The
              window is only one line deep, but it's 250 characters
              wide. This means that you can keep typing your command,
              even after the cursor gets to the right edge of the
              window. You'll see your command scroll to the left as you
              continue typing at the right edge of the window. You can
              type up to 250 characters into your search command.

              Here's a sample search command:

                   (Name = "SMITH " | Name = "JONES ") & City =
                   "BOSTON"

              Translated into English, this says "Name equal to SMITH
              or Name equal to JONES, and City equal to BOSTON".

              Another translation that takes the brackets into account
              is "First find anyone named JONES or SMITH, then make
              sure the city is BOSTON".

              Notice that the search command has four components:

              Parentheses, ( and )
                           Used to group things logically. You can use
                           as many parentheses as necessary to clarify
                           the comparison logic. For every left
                           parenthesis, you must have a right
                           parenthesis.

              Logical operators
                           These are the | and the & characters. The |
                           means OR. The & means AND.



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                           Note: The OR | symbol usually appears on the
                           same key on your keyboard as the backslash.
                           Some people call it the "vertical bar" or
                           "pipe" character. It is not a colon.

              Comparison operators
                           The comparison operators are:

                           =    Equal to
                           !=   Not equal to
                           >    Greater than
                           <    Less than
                           >=   Greater than or equal to
                           <=   Less than or equal to

              Data identifiers
                           Data identifiers are either field names,
                           calculations or constants.  You must use a
                           field name or calculation on the left side
                           of the comparison operator for each
                           comparison in the complex search.  Likewise,
                           you must use a constant on the right side of
                           the comparison operator for each comparison
                           in the complex search.

                           A FIELD is simply the field name. You don't
                           have to include the entire field name, only
                           enough so that PC-File can locate the field.

                           A CALCULATION is any valid numeric or date
                           calculation.  Relational calculations are
                           not allowed in complex search criteria.

                           CONSTANTS always have a special character
                           surrounding them. Here are the special
                           surrounding characters and their meanings:

                           "    Generic (begins with) search data
                           example: "SMITH"
                           ~    Scan across search data example: ~ITH~
                           ?    Sounds-like search data example:
                           ?SMITH?

                           Spaces between components are not necessary,
                           but can be used as much as you like to
                           enhance readability of the command.



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              You can include up to 34 different comparisons for each
              complex search.

              Here are some example searches, to help you tie all of
              this information together.

              Find all of the departments that do not contain a "Q"
              anywhere in the department number:

                   department != ~Q~

              Find any name in Utah that doesn't sound like "Smith" and
              doesn't sound like "Young":

                   (state = "UT" & (name != ?SMITH? & name != ?YOUNG?))

              Find all of the managers in division 12 earning at least
              $4,000.00 per month:

                   status="M" & division = "12" & salary >= "4000.00"

              Find all records with a blank PAID field.

                   PAID = "          "

              Find all records where BALANCE is not 0.

                   BALANCE != "0"

              In general, when searching for multiple pieces of data in
              one field, you use the OR symbol, and when searching for
              multiple pieces of data in different fields, you use the
              AND symbol. For example, to search for all people who
              live in Washington, Oregon and California, you would
              enter the following complex search:

                   STATE = "WA" | STATE = "OR" | STATE = "CA"

              In this example, you cannot use & (AND) because no one
              record has all three state abbreviations in the STATE
              field, but only has one state abbreviation. Also notice
              that the STATE field name is included for all three
              comparisons.






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              Note: Because of the special characters used for searches
              you cannot search for the question mark, underscore or
              tilde.

              14.2.2.1  Searching by Record Number



              You cannot search by record number, unless you have a
              field in the database which contains a "record number".
              If you need to search for all records before or after a
              specific record, compare to the text or value in the
              field instead of a record number. For example, if you
              need to select all records with last names which begin
              with N through Z, you would enter a complex search
              criteria of:

                   LASTNAME >= "N"

              For information on complex searches involving dates and
              date fields, refer to the chapter "Using the Calculation
              Feature".

              14.2.3  Global Search

              If you choose the Global Search option, you are asked for
              the word to search for.  Then, PC-File starts searching
              in the database, looking for ANY occurrence of that word
              ANYWHERE in the record.  This is very handy for those
              times when you can't determine what field in the database
              might contain the word.  For example, you might have two
              address fields in the database.  If you don't know which
              address field will contain the data, just do a Global
              Search.

              Note: The Global Search option does not search memo
              fields.


              14.3  AFTER THE RECORD IS FOUND


              Whichever type of search you use, when a matching record
              is found it is displayed. You can then choose from the
              following options:




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                  -  Add a Record
                  -  Delete
                  -  Modify
                  -  Search (new)
                  -  End of file
                  -  Beginning
                  -  Next record
                  -  Prior record
                  -  Rcd# get
                  -  + browse down
                  -  - browse up
                  -  Quit finding

              To find more records which match the search criteria,
              just type F (for Find another) or press (Enter). The next
              record will be found and displayed.

              To make changes to the record, type M (for Modify). To
              delete the record, type D (for Delete). To view the
              contents of a memo field, press (Alt)V. Or, you can enter
              one of the other find commands indicated in the menu box.

              Note: If you have the expert menus option set in your
              profile, the find menu is abbreviated and placed in the
              upper right corner of your screen.  Only the first letter
              of each command is displayed in the expert menu.  Refer
              to the chapter "Configuring System-Profiles" for more
              information on expert menus.





















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              94                                                PC-File

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                                     Chapter 15

                                 MODIFYING A RECORD


              Before you can modify a record in your database, you must
              first find it. Refer to Chapter 14, "Finding A Record"
              for more information on finding a record.

              After you've found the record to be modified, press M.
              PC-File displays the entire record for you. You may
              change data in any or all fields.

              You use the cursor movement keys, data keys, (Ins) and
              (Del) to change the data on the screen.

              You can use the field duplication key, (Ctrl)F, to copy
              data from the corresponding field in the previously
              viewed record. And don't forget about (Ctrl) R and
              (Ctrl)W, which read and write memorized data from memory
              into any of the fields.

              After you've modified the data on the screen, press (F10)
              to save the changes. If you modified the data in the
              indexed field, PC-File immediately moves the record (and
              you) to the new position within the index. For example,
              if the index for the Last_Name field is current and you
              change the last name from "Taylor" to "Brown", after
              pressing (F10), PC-File places you in the B's instead of
              leaving you in the T's. If you press N to display the
              next record, you would see the name after Brown instead
              of the name after Taylor.

              You are then prompted to provide information for finding
              another record in the database. If you want to go back to
              the Master Menu, just type Q or press (F10).

              You can press (Esc) to cancel your changes, leaving the
              record as it was before the modify.




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              Notes: If a field is blanked or altered immediately after
              pressing M to modify a record, it has an edit mask or
              constant that is active when modifying. If a field is
              altered when you press (F10) to save the record, it
              probably has a calculation. If you don't want masks,
              constants and calculations performed when you modify a
              record, you must make them "add only." Refer to Chapter
              30, "Alter Field Name, Mask, Const, Calc" for more
              information. If the field does not have a calculation,
              but is modified when you press (F10), it is probably a
              numeric field. If the field is a numeric field, PC-File
              converts the data to a value. For example, if you enter
              206-454-0479 in a numeric field, when you press (F10),
              PC-File converts the phone number to a value of 206.

              If PC-File beeps when you type a character in a field it
              is because the field has an edit mask which doesn't allow
              the character. You can use the Utilities, Name command to
              delete or modify the mask to allow the desired
              character(s). Refer to the Chapter "Alter Field Name,
              Mask, Const, Calc" for more information.


              15.1  ERROR MESSAGE WHEN MODIFYING


              The message "Can't modify NDX entry" usually occurs when
              one or more of the indexes is damaged. Use the Utilities,
              Index Operations command to rebuild all of the indexes
              for the database. Refer to the Error Messages section for
              an explanation of other error messages.


















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                                     Chapter 16

                                  DELETING A RECORD


              Before you can delete a record, you must first locate the
              record to be deleted. Please refer to Chapter 14,
              "Finding A Record."

              After the record has been found, press D to delete it.
              You're asked if you really want to delete the record.
              This is just a final check, in case you pressed D
              accidentally! If you really do want to delete the record,
              press Y. Otherwise, press N.

              Note: The record is not physically deleted from the file
              at this time. It is just hidden so that you no longer see
              it.  It won't actually be removed from the file until
              later, when you pack the database or when a newly added
              record gets written into the same location. Until the
              record is physically deleted, you can undelete it by
              going to the Utilities menu and selecting the Undelete
              option. To pack the database, refer to the chapter
              "Packing the Database".


              16.1  ERROR MESSAGE WHEN DELETING


              The message "Can't delete NDX entry" usually occurs when
              one or more of the indexes is damaged. Use the Utilities,
              Index Operations command to rebuild all of the indexes
              for the database. Refer to the Error Messages section for
              an explanation of other error messages.









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                                     Chapter 17

                                REARRANGING THE DATA


              Databases can easily be arranged in different ways for
              different uses. You have several options available for
              rearranging your data.

              The easiest way to change the order of your records is to
              switch indexes. The order the database is in depends on
              the active index. Indexes are maintained in the sequence
              that was specified when they were created. When you add,
              delete or modify records in a database, PC-File
              automatically updates all indexes for that database.

              On the other hand, PC-File also has the ability to sort
              your database in just about any order. Sorting the
              database is best if you want to sort selected records.

              There are several reasons for using indexes and sorting
              your database. PC-File can search an indexed field must
              faster than a non-indexed field. If the field you're
              searching has an index, PC-File automatically switches to
              that index before starting the search. When you print a
              report, you might want the records to print in descending
              order or random order. For this, you can sort the
              database or keep an index in that sequence.

              When you define a database, you select the fields you
              want to index. For information on deleting an existing
              index, and creating a new index after you have defined
              the database, refer to "Index Operations."

              Note to technical readers: The new "user-defined" indexes
              provide the same capabilities as sort indexes. But for
              inexperienced users, the sort menus provide a much easier
              way to specify the index sequence than having to provide
              dBASE commands. Additionally, sort indexes can contain




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              "selected records" - a subset index - which is not an
              option with user-defined indexes.


              17.1  SWITCHING INDEXES


              There are three methods for switching indexes:

                 1.  Press (Alt)I. PC-File switches to the next index.
                     If you continue to press (Alt)I, PC-File again
                     switches to the next index. (Alt)I can be used at
                     almost any point in PC-File. For example, you can
                     press (Alt)I at the Report menu to switch indexes
                     before printing a report, after modifying a record
                     to switch to a new index, and at the Utilities
                     menu before exporting your database.  These are
                     just a few of the places where you can use (Alt)I
                     in PC-File.

                 2.  Use the Utilities Index Operations. This option is
                     useful in smart keys.

                 3.  PC-File also switches indexes automatically when
                     performing some searches.


              17.2  SORTING THE DATABASE


              To sort the database, press U to display the Utilities
              menu, then S to select the Sort option. PC-File lists the
              field names on your screen, and asks you for the first
              sort field. Select the field you want sorted in the
              database.

              If you want to sort on multiple fields, first select the
              most primary (i.e., most important) field in the sort
              sequence. For example, you may be producing an alphabetic
              listing by name. Within all of the SMITH names, you want
              the sort to include the first names, so that all the JOHN
              SMITHs appear together, followed by all the JUNE SMITHs.
              Sort field #1 in this example would be LAST_NAME, and
              sort field #2 would be FIRST_NAME.





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              You are allowed to specify up to ten fields in the sort
              sequence.

              Note: When PC-File sorts the database, it creates a dBASE
              command string that's limited to 100 characters. Because
              of this string size limitation, you might not be able to
              sort more than four or five fields. If you do not request
              case sensitive sorts in the profiles, you are able to
              sort more fields.

              As you select each field, you're asked "Ascending or
              Descending." Ascending means normal sequence, 0 to 9, A
              to Z. Descending means reverse sequence, Z to A, 9 to 0.
              Answer accordingly. Data is sorted according to the ASCII
              decimal value.

              You can freely intermix ascending fields with descending
              fields. For instance, you may wish to print a list of
              employee salaries by department. You want each department
              listed in ascending sequence. Within each department, you
              want to list salaries in descending sequence (so that the
              big earners show up on top). To produce this list, sort
              as follows:

                   DEPARTMENT     (Ascending)
                   SALARY         (Descending)

              When you've finished identifying all the sort fields
              press (F10).

              Now the program asks if you want to sort All or Selected
              records. If you sort only selected records, the new sort
              index contains only the records that you select. This
              speeds up the sort a great deal, and requires less disk
              space for the sort index.

              Why would you sort only selected records? Suppose that
              you want to create a report that lists only the employees
              from department 12. Instead of sorting the entire
              database, you could sort selected records (those from
              department 12 only). Then when you print the database,
              you can print ALL records, because the index only
              includes records from department 12. The report will run
              faster, and you won't have to hassle with selecting
              records.




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              17.2.1  Sort Sequence Index

              Each time you sort, PC-File creates an index called
              SORT_SEQ. The sort sequence index is updated whenever you
              add, modify or delete a record.  However, you can only
              have one sort sequence index. Each time you sort, a new
              sort sequence index is created, and the old one is
              forgotten.

              To switch to the sort sequence index, you have to use the
              Index Operations command from the Utilities menu. You
              cannot switch to the sort sequence index using (Alt)I.

              Note: If you sorted selected records, all new records
              that you add are added to the SORT_SEQ index, whether or
              not they match the selection criteria used when you
              sorted.


              17.3  SPECIAL SORTING CAPABILITIES


              17.3.1  Calculated Sort Fields

              The field that you sort on can also be a calculation. The
              calculation doesn't really exist as a field in the
              database. It's an arithmetic answer that's generated,
              then treated like data for sorting purposes. For example,
              if you sort on (TOTAL - AMTPAID), your data will be in
              sequence by the balance due.

              To sort on a calculated field, use a calculation instead
              of a field name. Be sure to place a left and right
              parenthesis on each end of the calculation.

              Here are some other examples:

              sort on a date that's in month,day,year sequence:

                   (DATESOLD(@DAY#,mdy))

              sort on the difference between two dates that are in
              day,month,year sequence:

                   ((DATE2(@DAY#,dmy)) - (DATE1(@DAY#,dmy)))




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              17.3.2  Substring Sort

              You can pull out any portion of any field for use in
              sorting. This is called a substring sort. To do this,
              enter the field name, followed by the starting position,
              followed by the length when prompted for the sort field.
              All three items are separated by commas. A starting
              position of 1 means to start at the first character on
              the left.

              For example, you have a Character type field named DATE,
              with data entered in the format DD.MM.YY, like:

                   25.10.90

              To sort it correctly by date, you can use a date
              calculation or a substring sort. Using a substring sort,
              specify the year as the most major field. For sort field
              number 1, enter:

                   DATE,7,2

              The offset is 7. The length is 2. This sorts on positions
              seven and eight of the field, picking up only the last
              two digits (the year).

              Now, you specify the month portion of the field as the
              second sort field, like:

                   DATE,4,2

              The offset is 4. The length is 2. This sorts on positions
              four and five, picking up only the month.

              Now, you specify the day portion of the field as the
              third sort field, like:

                   DATE,1,2

              The offset is 1. The length is 2. This sorts on positions
              one and two, picking up only the day.

              Note: You should not use a substring sort on a Date type
              field. The substring sort is useful for dates only when
              stored in Character type fields.




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              Using a substring sort can save on space required for the
              sort. For example, when sorting on LASTNAME, it's often
              only necessary to sort on the first six or seven
              characters of the name. The sort will run faster if you
              specify:

                   LASTNAME,1,6

               (sort on only the first 6 characters)

              rather than:

                   LASTNAME

               (sort the entire field length)


              17.3.3  Random Sort Fields

              PC-File can sort in a random sequence. Random sequence is
              like shuffling a deck of cards. The records in your
              database will be placed in a random order. This could be
              used to create a random list of the entrants in an event.
              To do a random sort, reply with (@RANDOM#) when you are
              asked to enter the name of the sort field.


              17.3.4  Roman Numeral Sort Fields

              PC-File can sort Roman Numerals correctly. If the sort
              field contains Roman Numerals, supply the field name, a
              comma, and an R when asked for the sort field. For
              example:

                   CHAPTER,R


              17.3.5  Sounds-like Sort

              PC-File can perform a Sounds-like sort. To do a sounds-
              like sort, supply the field name, a comma, and an S when
              asked "Sort field #". For example:

                   LASTNAME,S





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              This places all last names sounding alike together in the
              database.


              17.4  INDEX ERROR MESSAGES


              There are several error messages you may receive if PC-
              File detects a problem with an index file. The messages
              are:

                   Bad Index name.NDX. Rebuild it?
                   WARNING: Bad Index (#)
                   Unsuccessful ADD operation
                   Unable to modify NDX entry
                   Unable to delete NDX entry

              The first error message usually occurs when you first
              load a database, and the index file represented by NAME
              has been deleted. The second error message occurs when
              you first load the database, or when you switch to an
              index which is damaged. The last three errors messages
              occur when you are adding, modifying or deleting records
              in the database.

              If you receive an index error message, you must rebuild
              the index immediately. If you ignore the error message
              and continue working in the database, PC-File may not be
              able to find records that exist, may show you duplicate
              records which don't really exist, or may give you error
              messages when you add, modify or delete records.

              To make or rebuild an index for the current database,
              press F8 or U from the main menu. From the Utilities
              menu, press X for Index operations, then press M to make
              new indexes. PC-File displays the names of all of the
              fields in the database, and displays a triangle pointing
              to each field which is currently indexed. You should
              rebuild all current indexes and any additional indexes
              you need.

              The most common reason for index error messages is that
              you have used the name index file name for more than one
              field. This causes two databases or two fields to compete
              for the same index file, and the index will be "bad" for




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              all but one. You must give each index file name a unique
              name.

              If you continue to receive index error messages after
              making sure that each index has a unique name, check to
              make sure you have enough disk space to contain all index
              files, and that none of the files are damaged. To check
              for damaged files, run the DOS CHKDSK /F command on the
              data disk. You can also copy the files to another disk or
              subdirectory, to ensure the files do not reside on a bad
              spot on the data disk.






































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                                     Chapter 18

                                  PRINTING REPORTS


              Printing reports is one of the most important features of
              a database program. PC-File lets you create and print
              both simple and complex reports.

              To print records, press (F6) or type R while viewing the
              Master Menu. If no report formats have been defined, you
              are prompted for the type of report format to create.
              Otherwise, PC-File displays the report formats that have
              been defined previously. To print an existing report,
              select the report format, then press (F10). To define a
              new report format, press (F10) with the cursor on the
              blank line.


              18.1  TYPE OF REPORT FORMATS


              There are five options when defining a report: PAGE, ROW,
              MAIL LABEL, FREE FORM and COMMAND. They are arranged from
              easy to complex. The easy options do most of the work for
              you, but are not as flexible. The complex options allow
              all kinds of report layouts, but require more effort to
              define the report.

              PAGE         prints one record per page - similar to the
                           way the records appear when displayed on the
                           screen.

              ROW          allows you to select specific fields to be
                           printed on one line across the page, lined
                           up in columns.

              MAIL LABEL   permits you to define simple mailing labels
                           in a 1-up format.




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              FREE FORM    lets you to paint your report format using
                           the screen as a guide to where the fields
                           will print.

              COMMAND      allows you to use the editor to enter the
                           report format commands directly.


              18.2  SECTIONS OF A REPORT


              If you're defining your report format using Row, Page or
              Mail Label method, you don't need to read this section.
              You may skip ahead to the section that covers the type of
              report you wish to produce. However, if you're using the
              Free Form or Command method, you must understand the
              sections of a report to successfully create a report
              format.

              A report format consists of up to six sections. These
              sections are the COVER, HEADING, DETAIL, SUBTOTAL, TOTAL
              and FOOTING sections. Each section controls a specific
              part of the report. If a section is not included in a
              report format, that portion of the report is not printed.
              A report must have at least one section or nothing will
              print.

              :COVER       The COVER section is used to print text once
                           at the beginning of a report. This is useful
                           when you want to include a cover page or
                           want to print something once at the
                           beginning of the report.

              :HEADING     The information in the HEADING section is
                           printed at the top of each page. The HEADING
                           section is usually used to print titles,
                           page numbers and column headings. If you
                           have a HEADING section, you must have a
                           FOOTING section which prints at least one
                           line (this line can be blank).

              :DETAIL      The DETAIL section supplies the information
                           that tells PC-File which fields to print and
                           where to print them. Everything in the
                           DETAIL section is printed once for each
                           record selected. This is the most important



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                           section. Without a DETAIL section, data from
                           individual records won't be printed.

              :SUBTOTAL    The SUBTOTAL section is only printed when a
                           subtotal break is requested. Each time a
                           subtotal break occurs, the SUBTOTAL section
                           is printed. The SUBTOTAL section can be used
                           to print subtotals for numeric fields, text
                           or blank lines or can start a new page. Free
                           Form reports cannot take advantage of the
                           special features used by multiple levels of
                           subtotals. You must format these features
                           using the Command mode.

              :TOTAL       The TOTAL section is printed at the end of a
                           report after all of the records have been
                           printed. Items that usually appear in the
                           TOTAL section include totals for numeric
                           fields, the number of records printed and
                           the selection criteria.

              :FOOTING     The FOOTING section is printed at the end of
                           each page, and determines the bottom margin
                           on each page. Information in the FOOTING
                           section can include items such as a page
                           number, blank lines or strings of text. The
                           FOOTING section is required with any report
                           with any section other than a DETAIL
                           section, and with any report that needs a
                           bottom margin on each page. The FOOTING
                           section should contain at least one printed
                           line (which can be blank).


              18.3  PAGE FORMAT


              To create a simple report format that prints one record
              per page, choose the first option P, Page format. This
              prints each record similar to the way records are
              displayed on the screen, like this:








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                        EMPNUM 12323
                         MONTH JAN
                        VOLUME 423.34
                   TRANSACTION 17
                      COMMENTS Vendor late shipment had severe effect

              After PC-File has created the report, you are asked if
              you want to save the format. Answer Y if you want to use
              this report format later. You will be asked to enter a
              description of the report. This description will be shown
              on the screen to remind you what this format is used for.
              It will not be printed. You will then be asked to enter
              the name of the report. PC-File saves the format in a
              file with the name you supply and the extension .REP. The
              file is saved on the same drive and directory as the
              database.

              Next, the Report Menu appears. The format has now been
              defined. For information about responding to the Report
              Menu, refer to "Report Menu" later in this chapter.

              Note: PC-File prints only the display length of window
              fields and memo fields. If you want the entire contents
              of the field to print, you must save the report then edit
              it using the Command format.


              18.4  ROW FORMAT


              To define a report format with the data lined up in
              columns across the page, choose R for Row Format. PC-File
              displays each field name and lets you number the fields
              to print. Enter the numbers in the order that the fields
              are to be printed. The fields with the lowest numbers
              print first, to the left of the fields with higher
              numbers. Fields without a number are not printed. Numeric
              fields generate totals and subtotals at the appropriate
              place in the report. Once you have entered a number for
              each field you want to print, press (F10).

              In the example below, the fields will be printed with
              MONTH at the left, then EMPNUM, and then TRANSACTION. The
              VOLUME and COMMENTS fields are not printed.





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                        EMPNUM [2 ]
                         MONTH [1 ]
                        VOLUME [  ]
                   TRANSACTION [3 ]
                      COMMENTS [  ]

              PC-File prints the fields side by side with one space
              between each field. If the report is printed to the
              screen and is wider than 79 characters, only the first 79
              characters of each line are displayed. When sending a
              report to the printer, the width should not be more than
              the printer can print on one line.

              PC-File asks for the title of the report. The report
              title prints at the top of each page. If you enter a
              title, this title is used each time the report is
              printed. If you do not enter a title, you will be
              prompted for a title each time the report is printed.
              This is useful when you want to use the same format but
              use a different title each time the report is printed.

              Next, you are asked if you want to save the report
              format. If you respond Y, you are asked for a short
              description of the report format. The description is not
              printed, but is displayed when report names are listed to
              the screen. Then you are asked to enter the name of the
              report.

              Once the name has been entered, the report is written to
              disk with the extension .REP. You will then see the
              Report Menu. Refer to the section "Report Menu" later in
              this chapter.

              Below is an example of a Row format report.

                                   FIRST QUARTER REPORT
                   August 31, 1989                               Page 1

                   MON EMPNU TRA
                   === ===== ===
                   JAN 12323  17
                   FEB 12323  24
                   MAR 12323  15
                   JAN 19645  35
                   FEB 19645  20
                   MAR 19645  27



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                   ----------------------------------------------------
                   TOTALS:        TRANSACTION         138.00

              Note: PC-File prints only the display length of window
              fields and memo fields. If you want the entire contents
              of the field to print, you must save the report then edit
              it using the Command format.


              18.5  MAIL LABEL FORMAT


              This format lets you define simple mailing labels to be
              printed in a one-up (one column) format. Mailing labels
              look like this:

                   John Jacob Jones
                   15253 "J" Street
                   Jersey City, CA  95432

                   Ruth Ratliffe
                   333 Rutlidge Road SE
                   Randolph, RI  12345

              Here are the steps to defining a mailing label report:

                    You are asked how many print lines are used for
                     each mailing label. This is the total number of
                     lines that would be used to print from the top of
                     one mailing label down to the top of the next
                     mailing label.  For common 1-inch labels, the
                     answer to this is 6 (assuming your printer prints
                     6 lines to the inch.) This number includes blank
                     lines as well as the lines that will contain data.

                    Then, you are asked to select the fields that will
                     print on line 1.  Move the cursor to the first
                     field to print on line 1 and put a 1 there. If
                     there is another field to print on line 1, move
                     the cursor to that field and put a 2 there. Keep
                     going until you've marked all the fields to print
                     on line 1.

                    Then, you are asked to select the fields on line
                     2. (You'll also notice that the fields you've
                     already used on line 1 are marked so that you'll



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                     know not to reuse them.)  Again, mark the first
                     field to print on line 2 with a 1, the second with
                     a 2, etc.

                    You'll be prompted in like manner for the fields
                     on each line of the label.  When you get to the
                     bottom part of the label (where the lines will be
                     empty) just press F10 without numbering any fields
                     for those lines.

              When you're all through, you'll have defined a mailing
              label report.

              Notes: When you get ready to print the report, do NOT
              answer YES to the "Remove blank lines and spaces"
              question.  This is already done automatically for you by
              the mailing label format you've defined.

              If you have more complex mailing label needs, such as
              multiple labels in a side by side format, you must use
              the stand-alone program PCLABEL. See Chapter 36 "Printing
              Mailing Labels."

              This format prints one space between fields which appear
              on the same line. If you want punctuation between fields,
              you can either include it in the field when you enter
              data, or edit the report using the Command mode.


              18.6  FREE FORM FORMAT


              PC-File allows you to define a report by painting it on
              the screen. This is called the "Free Form" format. To
              define a Free Form report, press F when asked for the
              type of report to produce. Before you create a Free Form
              report for the first time, please read this section
              carefully and study the Free Form Report example.

              You are asked if you want to pattern the new report after
              an existing report. If you answer Y, you are shown a list
              of existing reports and asked which format to use. After
              choosing a report format, the editing window appears with
              the old report format. If you reply N, a blank report
              format appears in the editing window. Examples are




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              displayed, and a brief description of the type of
              information to enter into each section.

              When creating or editing a Free Form format, you use the
              editing window. For more information on using the editing
              window see Chapter 8, "Using the Built-in Editor."

              When creating a Free Form format there are some important
              things to remember:

                    You must have section indicators (like :DETAIL) in
                     the format.

                    Anything that is typed in the editing window other
                     than the @ character is interpreted as a constant
                     (text) in the report.

                    Adjacent @ characters are interpreted as a field
                     in the database, a calculation or a system field.
                     You do not identify what each @ group means until
                     after you paint the whole format and press (F10).

                    There must be at least one space between each
                     field (set of @ characters).

                    Any blank lines are saved and printed as blank
                     lines.

                    Any line with a short block symbol in the first
                     position is a comment line and will not be saved
                     in the report format.

              To draw the report, move the cursor to the location on
              the screen where you want data to print. If the data is a
              string of text such as a title or field heading, type in
              the text from the keyboard. When you want to enter a
              field from the database, type a series of @@'s to
              indicate the length of the field to print. For example,
              if you type ten @ characters where a field with a length
              of 20 is to be printed, only 10 characters from that
              field will print.

              You can format numeric fields to include commas and
              decimal points. For example, if you type @@@,@@@.@@ on
              the screen, the field printed at that location will be
              formatted with the comma and decimal point. The data



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              100000.59 will be printed as 100,000.59 and the data 957
              will be printed as 957.00.

              Note: The maximum number of at signs you can use in one
              group is 65. PC-File ignores all at signs after the 65th
              in a group. For window fields and memo fields, this means
              that you will either get only the first 65 characters of
              the field, or you will have to use several sets of at
              signs in order to print the entire contents of the window
              field. If you use one set of at signs for the first line
              of the window field or memo fields, you can edit the
              report using the Command format in order to print the
              entire field.

              Below is a sample Free Form report:




                        [graphic N:\manual\freeform.eps goes

















                      here] 



                      Figure 18.1: "Free Form" Report (example)







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              In the example above, the HEADING section is used to
              print the field titles and the title of the report. This
              is printed at the top of each page. The DETAIL section
              has a total of six fields. The first four are fields in
              the database. The last column, AVG, is a calculation of
              VOLUME divided by TRANSACTION. Two lines print for each
              record. The COMMENTS field prints below the first line of
              data. PC-File automatically prints as many records per
              page as will fit. The report also contains calculations
              in the SUBTOTAL and TOTAL sections which sum the VOLUME
              field. Page numbers are printed at the bottom of each
              page.

              The example above includes blank lines in the HEADING and
              FOOTING sections. The blank lines in the HEADING and
              FOOTING sections determine how much of a top and bottom
              margin are used.

              The .FF command can be used to force the printer to skip
              to the top of the next page. In this example, each
              subtotal break causes the printer to start a new page.

              The report layout can be up to 220 characters wide by 148
              lines long. You can use as many lines in each section as
              are required to enter the report format. If a section is
              not needed in a report it may be deleted. Any
              instructions or blank lines that are not needed can also
              be deleted.

              After you finish laying out the report on the screen
              press (F10). You will be prompted for the information to
              fill in the field markers. These markers are the series
              of @@'s you placed in the report format to represent the
              fields. One by one PC-File will move through each set of
              @ characters. PC-File marks the field that it is asking
              about as a series of ?? symbols.

              In the COVER section, PC-File asks you which system field
              to print at the position of the marked field.

              In the HEADING, DETAIL and FOOTING sections, PC-File
              first asks you whether the marked field is a system
              field, field or a calculation. If you respond F, PC-File
              displays a list of the fields in the database. Choose the
              field that you want to have printed at this location in
              the report.



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              If you respond with C when asked whether a marked field
              is a field or calculation, you are prompted for the
              calculation to perform. A calculation can include any
              field in the database, a constant, a date calculation, a
              relational lookup or a system variable.

              Fields marked in the SUBTOTAL and TOTAL sections can be a
              system field or a total for a field. To generate totals,
              press T when prompted. You will then be asked which field
              to total. The field to total must be included in the
              DETAIL section.

              To use a system field, select S and then choose the
              system field. The system fields supported in Free Form
              formats are:

                   a.   Today's date
                   b.   Current time
                   c.   Page number
                   d.   Total records in the database
                   e.   Selection criteria
                   f.   Primary sort field or current index
                   g.   Quantity in the subtotal group
                   h.   Field name of subtotal field
                   i.   Data from the subtotal field
                   j.   Count (number) of records printed
                   k.   Request operator input

              Once all of the fields have been identified, PC-File asks
              if you want to save the report format. If you respond Y,
              you are first asked to enter the description for the
              file, then the name. The program then proceeds to the
              Report Menu. Refer to the section "Report Menu" later in
              this chapter.


              18.7  COMMANDS FORMAT


              18.7.1  Creating and Editing Report Formats

              The Command option allows you to create new report
              formats and edit existing report formats. Every report
              format, no matter how it was created, can be edited using
              the Command option. In most cases, you'll find it easier
              to produce a custom report by editing a saved Page or Row



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              format, than to produce the custom report starting from
              scratch.

              Note: Everything described in this section applies to
              Command reports, not Free Form reports.

              After answering C to select the Command option, PC-File
              asks you if you want to create or edit a report format.
              To create a new report, type C. To edit an existing
              format type E.

              When creating a report, an empty format appears in the
              edit window. When editing a report, the existing report
              is loaded into the editor.

              In the Command format, each command is entered on a
              separate line. Any unnecessary sections can be deleted.
              The maximum number of commands (lines) is 405. Each
              command must fit on one line and is limited to 80
              characters.

              After you have defined the report, press (F10). PC-File
              will ask for a description of the report, then for the
              name of the report. After the report has been saved PC-
              File moves to the Report Menu. Refer to "Report Menu"
              later in this chapter.

              If you prefer, you can use your favorite word processor
              to edit the report format. Just be certain that it
              produces an ordinary ASCII file. The report format must
              be stored in file filename.REP. If you use an external
              editor, the 405 line limit is removed. However, if you
              create a report using your word processor which is more
              than 405 lines long, you cannot edit the report in PC-
              File. If you do, all lines beyond line 405 are deleted
              from the report.

              18.7.2  Report Commands

              Here are the commands available for use in a Command
              format. All commands except field names, total buckets
              and string buckets must be entered in uppercase:

              [xxx]        database field
              <xxx>        database field (spaces removed)
              [xxx,s,l]    partial field, (s)tart,(l)ength



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              [COUNT*]     number of records printed
              [DATE*]      system date
              [KEYIN*message]
                           prompt for operator input
              [PAGE*]      current page number
              [RECORDS*]   number of records in database
              [SELECT*]    selection criteria for the report
              [SORT*]      primary sort field or current index
              [SUBCMD*]    print whole subtotal break command
              [SUBCOUNT*]  number of records in subtotal group
              [SUBFLD*]    field name of subtotal break field
              [SUBID*]     data from subtotal break field
              [SUBLEVEL*]  level of subtotals which caused this break
              [TIME*]      system time
              A nn,nn      ASCII control codes
              =nn          tab to column nn
              /n           insert n lines
              .IF (calculation)
              .ELSE
              .ENDIF       IF, ELSE, and ENDIF commands
              .FF          formfeed
              .CP n        conditional page
              .GROUP       mark beginning of group
              .EGROUP      mark end of group
              .EGROUP R    mark end of group, replace blank lines
              x           total bucket
              $x          string bucket
              (a+b)        calculation
              (@F1,DB,F2,F3)
                           relational lookup


              18.7.3  Database Field Commands

              To print a field from the database you must use one of
              the field designators. One option is to include the field
              name inside square brackets, like [LASTNAME]. This prints
              the field and retains any spaces in the field. If pointed
              brackets are used, like <LASTNAME>, trailing spaces in
              the field are removed.

              You can print a selected portion of a field by entering
              the field name, a comma, the character position to start
              at, a comma, and the number of characters to print.
              Examine the report format shown below.




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                        :DETAIL
                        [VOLUME]
                        [TRANSACTION]
                        /1
                        <VOLUME>
                        <TRANSACTION>
                        /1
                        [EMPNUM,1,3]
                        [TRANSACTION,2,1]
                        /2

              Here is what the record in the database looks like:

                        EMPNUM       [32472]
                        MONTH        [JAN]
                        VOLUME       [  4.34]
                        TRANSACTION  [17]

              When the report format is printed with the data shown,
              the output
              appears as follows:

                   VOL  TRNS
                   ---- ----
                   4.34 17
                   4.3417
                   324  7

              You can also include some text (constants) with each
              record. Constants are used to print headings, titles and
              any other text. When a constant is used in a report
              format, it must be surrounded by quote marks ". Notice
              how constants are used in the example below.

                   :COVER
                   =30
                   "ACME CHEMICAL COMPANY"
                   /1
                   =32
                   "YEAR END REPORT"
                   /1

              To print the entire contents of a memo field, you must
              include a command with the memo field name inside of
              square brackets, like:




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                   [MEMO]

              PC-File normally prints a memo field the way it is
              displayed when you press (Ctrl)E in the memo field. If
              you want a memo field to print a different number of
              characters per line than it currently does, you need to
              add the MEMOW parameter to your profile with the
              appropriate length, and then reformat the data in each
              memo field in each record to the new line length before
              printing. Alternatively, you can use multiple commands to
              print different portions of the field.


              Refer to the section on print masks for tips on printing
              window fields.

              18.7.4  System Field Commands

              System fields include the number of records that are
              printed, page numbers, the sort sequence, number of
              records in the database and other information.

              Below is part of a report format that prints the number
              of records printed, the number of records in the
              database, how the database is sorted and the selection
              criteria.

                   :TOTAL
                   "Printed "
                   <COUNT*>:zz,zz#:
                   " of the "
                   <RECORDS*>:zz,zz#:
                   " records."
                   /1
                   "PRIMARY SORT FIELD: "
                   <SORT*>:@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@:
                   "SELECTION CRITERIA: "
                   <SELECT*>
                   /1

              The following example shows how to use the KEYIN* command
              to prompt the operator to enter a title when the report
              is printed.

                   <KEYIN*Please enter a TITLE>




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              You use the KEYIN* command followed by the prompt message
              you want to have appear when PC-File asks for the
              information. The prompt message is optional.

              All system fields' names must be entered in uppercase
              with an * following the name.

              System fields available in a Command format are:

              [COUNT*]     number of records printed
              [DATE*]      system date
              [KEYIN*message]
                           prompt for operator input
              [PAGE*]      current page number
              [RECORDS*]   number of records in database
              [SELECT*]    selection criteria for the report
              [SORT*]      primary sort field or current index
              [SUBCMD]     print whole subtotal break command
              [SUBCOUNT*]  number of records in subtotal group
              [SUBFLD*]    field name of subtotal break field
              [SUBID*]     data from subtotal break field
              [SUBLEVEL*]  level of subtotals which caused this break
              [TIME*]      system time


              18.7.5  Formatting Commands

              There are several commands that allow you to tell PC-File
              where to print the fields. These commands control
              tabbing, line feeds and when to skip to the top of a new
              page. Each command must appear on a line by itself in the
              report format. All commands must be entered in uppercase.

              Horizontal Tab
                           The =nn command controls the print location
                           horizontally. If you want to have a field
                           print in the middle of a line you must use
                           the =nn command to move the print head
                           across the page before printing the field.
                           The nn indicates which column to tab to, not
                           spaces to insert before the next piece of
                           data. For example, the command =40 would tab
                           to column 40 and =73 would tab to column 73.
                           The =nn command can only move the print head
                           to the right, not backward to the left. To




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                           move the print head to the leftmost column
                           on the next line, use the New Line command.

              New Line     The /n command tells the printer to move
                           down n number of lines. To skip down five
                           lines you would use the command /5. If you
                           want to print more than one line of
                           information, you would use the /n command.
                           An example would be if there are two lines
                           of text in a heading, you would need to
                           include a /1 before the text of the second
                           line. Each section should end with at least
                           one /1. The only exception is when a section
                           ends with the FORMFEED command, .FF.

              Formfeed     The .FF command tells the printer to begin a
                           new page, even if the current page is not
                           full. This is useful when printing a cover
                           page at the beginning of a report or if you
                           want to skip to a new page after a subtotal
                           break. DO NOT use the .FF command the in
                           HEADING or FOOTING section. If a .FF is used
                           in the COVER, DETAIL, SUBTOTAL or TOTAL
                           section, the report must have a FOOTING
                           section with at least one /1. If any data is
                           printed in the section with the .FF, you
                           must have a /1 before the .FF.

              IF, ELSE, ENDIF
                           The IF command can be used to selectively
                           include other commands or data in your
                           report, based on the results of the IF
                           statement. The format for the entire set of
                           commands looks like this:

                           .IF (a comparison calculation)
                           things to do if true (this can be many
                           commands long)

                           .ELSE
                           things to do if not true (this can be many
                           commands long)

                           .ENDIF
                           end the IF statement




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                           You must include an .ENDIF statement. Every
                           .IF must have a matching .ENDIF. The .ELSE
                           statement is optional.

                           You cannot nest .IF statements. An .ENDIF
                           statements ends all preceding .IF
                           statements. Instead of nested .IF
                           statements, use a separate .IF statement for
                           each possibility.

                           You can have any number of commands after
                           the .IF statement line before the .ELSE or
                           .ENDIF lines. Likewise, you can have any
                           number of commands after the .ELSE line
                           before the .ENDIF line.

                           The example below selectively performs a
                           calculation based on the contents of the TAX
                           field, where the TAX field is used indicate
                           whether or not an item is taxable.

                                .IF (TAX="Y")
                                "AMOUNT OF TAX FOR THIS ITEM IS "
                                ([AMOUNT]*.081):zz#.##:
                                .ELSE
                                "NOT A TAXABLE ITEM"
                                .ENDIF

                           The .IF statement calculates the tax when
                           there is a Y in the TAX field and prints
                           "Not a taxable item" when there is a N in
                           the TAX field.

                           .IF statements are closely related to
                           complex searches. All of the valid complex
                           search operators work in .IF statements,
                           including scan-across, soundex, generic, and
                           imbedded searches. The .IF statement can
                           also include system fields, total buckets
                           and calculations in the .IF condition.
                           System fields and total buckets must be
                           enclosed by square brackets, like [COUNT*]
                           and [`A].

                           The following example shows how to print
                           address information using relational lookups



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                           once for each subtotal group. This example
                           uses relational lookups to bring back the
                           address information based on an account
                           number present in both the Customer List
                           database and the Order database. This report
                           is run from within the Order database.

                                :DETAIL
                                .IF ([SUBCOUNT*] = 1)
                                [COMPANY]
                                /1
                                (@ACCT_NO,CUSTOMER,CUST_ID_NO,ADDRESS)
                                /1
                                (@ACCT_NO,CUSTOMER,CUST_ID_NO,CITY)
                                ", "
                                (@ACCT_NO,CUSTOMER,CUST_ID_NO,STATE)
                                "  "
                                (@ACCT_NO,CUSTOMER,CUST_ID_NO,ZIPCODE)
                                /1
                                .ENDIF

                           Note: .IF statements can be entered in
                           Command reports and merge letters. .IF
                           statements are not usable in Free Form
                           reports. You can, however, create a report
                           using the Free Form option, then edit the
                           report using the Commands option to add .IF
                           statements.

              Conditional Page
                           The  .CP n  command is used to prevent
                           several lines of data from being split
                           between two pages. The .CP n  command tells
                           the printer to begin a new page, but only if
                           there are less than n lines left on a page.
                           For example, when a .CP 8  is encountered,
                           PC-File will check to see how many lines are
                           available for printing at the bottom of the
                           page. If there are less than eight lines
                           left, the printer will skip to the next
                           page. The .CP n command is usually placed at
                           the beginning of a section, but never at the
                           end. Do not use the .CP n command in the
                           HEADING or FOOTING section. Do not use the
                           .CP n command to determine the bottom margin




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                           on the page. You should use a :FOOTING
                           section with the appropriate number of /1's.

              .GROUP       The .GROUP command causes all following
                           lines to be treated as a group, until an
                           .EGROUP command is encountered. All blank
                           lines between .GROUP and .EGROUP are
                           removed.

              .EGROUP      The .EGROUP command ends a .GROUP. If any
                           blank lines are found in a .GROUP, they are
                           removed.

              .EGROUP R    The .EGROUP R command is a variation of the
                           .EGROUP command. Blank lines removed from
                           the group are replaced after the last data
                           line in the group. The .EGROUP R command is
                           useful when you need the printer to space a
                           consistent number of lines per records,
                           regardless of the number of data lines
                           printed, such as with mailing labels.

              ASCII        PC-File uses the /Normal and /Condensed
                           commands
                           in a profile to specify the general type
                           size and style for reports. You can also
                           tell PC-File to send printer control codes
                           to your printer in the middle of a report.
                           This is useful for changing type sizes, or
                           highlighting sections of the report with
                           bold, italicized, or underlined text. If you
                           have a color printer, you could highlight
                           sections of your report with different
                           colors.

                           To change the print style in a report, use
                           the  A nn,nn command. The values following A
                           represent the ASCII decimal value of the
                           printer control code. As an example,
                           A 27,69  will send the characters  ESC  and
                           E  to the printer to produce bold print on
                           an Epson printer. The sample command report
                           format later in this chapter demonstrates
                           this feature.





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                           PC-File accepts up to 67 characters for the
                           A nn,nn command. When using laser printers,
                           which often require long ASCII strings in
                           order to select a font, it may be necessary
                           to divide a long command into two or more
                           commands.


              18.7.6  Calculation Commands & Masks

              A calculation can use a field in the database, a system
              field, a constant, a total bucket, a date calculation or
              a relational lookup. A calculation must be surrounded by
              parentheses and can include embedded parentheses.

              When entering a calculation in a report, type field names
              as they appear in the database; do not use brackets.
              Constants must be surrounded by quotes. System fields and
              total buckets must be surrounded by square brackets.
              System fields must be entered in uppercase with an
              asterisk following the system field name. Relational
              calculations must be surrounded by parentheses and must
              follow the format shown in Chapter 21,  "Using the
              Calculation Features."  Below are some examples.

                   (SUBTOTAL+TAX+SHIPPING-DISCOUNT)
                   (VOLUME/TRANSACTION)
                   ([a]/[COUNT*])
                   (VOLUME*(FAST+SLOW))
                   (@EMPNUM,COMM,EMPNUM,RATE)
                   ((@TODAY#)(@DATE,mdy/)):@@@@@@@@:

              For more information on all types of calculations, see
              the chapter, "Using the Calculation Features".

              Print Masks

              When a field or calculation is printed, you can use a
              print mask to specify how it should be formatted. Masks
              can, for example, restrict the output to a certain
              length, add dollar signs or decimal places to numeric
              entries, or suppress leading zeros.

              You do not need to include a print mask for a text field
              unless you want to limit the number of characters to
              print, or want to word wrap the field. Valid text masks



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              are :@@@@@@: and :WWWWW: where the number of characters
              between the colons represents the width of the
              information that you wish to print. Text print masks
              always cause the output to be left-aligned.

              Use :@@@@@: if you simply want to limit the number of
              characters printed in a character field. Use :WWWWWWWWW:
              if you wish the field contents to be printed on several
              lines, word-wrapped. This is especially useful for window
              fields. The number of W's between the colons determines
              the maximum width that will print on each line. PC-File
              will automatically print as many lines as it needs to
              complete the field.

              You can include other characters where you want them to
              print--they will appear in the output. As an example, you
              might have the text SAN FRANCISCO entered into a
              character field named CITY. Here are some sample masks
              and their formatted output:

                   [CITY]:@@@@@@@@@:             SAN FRANC
                   [CITY]:WWWWWWWWW:             SAN
                                                 FRANCISCO
                   [CITY]:@-@-@-@-@:             S-A-N- -F

              You must use a text print mask to format the result of a
              date calculation. For example, the calculation
              ((@TODAY)(@DATE,mdy/)) might give 12/15/90 as a result.
              Unless you tell PC-File that the result is text, it will
              print it as a number like 12.150000. Here is a correct
              mask and its output:

                   ((@TODAY)(@DATE,mdy/)):@@@@@@@@:                            12/15/90

              You can prevent a field or calculation from printing
              anything by using an empty mask. This is useful when you
              want to add a value to a total bucket without printing
              the value. The following example adds the data in the
              fields Widgets and Wonkets, then adds the result to
              bucket a.  Because of the ::, the result of the
              calculation is not printed.

                   (Widgets+Wonkets)::a

              Numeric fields can be formatted using a variety of print
              masks. Number signs (#) and lower case z's both represent



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              digits. However, if a leading digit is zero, a z will
              suppress it, so it will be blank. If the value is zero
              and only z's are used in the mask, nothing is printed.
              The examples below demonstrate how this works.

              Commas and decimal points will print in the output, as
              described in the Free Form report section. The * and $
              characters are "floating" characters, useful for check-
              writing. Other characters will be included in the output.
              All numeric print masks will cause the value to print
              right-aligned .

              Here are examples of how several print masks would format
              the number 1234.5.

                   [QTY]:##,###.##:    01,234.50
                   [QTY]:zzzzzz.zz:      1234.50
                   [QTY]:zzzzzz.##:      1234.50
                   [QTY]:zz,zzz.##:     1,234.50
                   [QTY]:$$,$$$.##:    $1,234.50
                   [QTY]:**,***.##:    *1,234.50
                   [QTY]:zz,zz#:        1,234
                   [QTY]:##-##-#:      01-23-4

              Here are the same masks printing the value 0.

                   [QTY]:##,###.##:    00,000.00
                   [QTY]:zzzzzz.zz:
                   [QTY]:zzzzzz.##:          .00
                   [QTY]:zz,zzz.##:          .00
                   [QTY]:$$,$$$.##:         $.00
                   [QTY]:**,***.##:    ******.00
                   [QTY]:zz,zz#:            0
                   [QTY]:##-##-#:      00-00-0

              One other type of edit mask permits printing simple bar
              charts on any type of printer. It's called the "bar chart
              mask." The bars produced will be horizontal. Each bar
              prints left to right across the printed page. Here's the
              format of a bar chart mask:
                        :=size,minimum,maximum,XO:

                   The = indicates that it's a bar chart mask.

              Replace size with a number telling how many print
              positions to use for the bar chart (how wide it is).



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              Replace minimum with a number telling the minimum
              expected value in the data. This will help PC-File to
              scale the graph appropriately. This number will usually
              be zero, but can be a negative number.

              Maximum tells the maximum expected value to be found in
              the data. This helps PC-File to scale the graph.

              Replace the X with the character to use to fill in the
              bar on the graph. If nothing is provided, * will be used.
              If your printer can print a solid character, you may type
              that here.

              Replace the O with the character to be used to fill in
              the white space outside of the bar in your graph. If
              nothing is provided, a blank space will be used. If you
              want to use some other character, you may type that where
              the O is.

              Here are some sample barchart masks:

                        :=15,0,100,*-:
                        :=15,-1000,1000,$.:
                        :=15,0,5000:
                        :=15,-100,900,#:

              Buckets

              There are two types of buckets--buckets that accumulate
              numeric values, also known as total buckets, and buckets
              that store text, also known as string buckets.

              Total Buckets

              PC-File uses "Total buckets" to store subtotal and total
              values of fields and calculations in reports. These are
              similar to variables used in programming, but are
              designed specifically to keep track of totals. Total
              buckets are only used in Command report formats--Row and
              Free Form report use other methods of defining totals.

              Each total bucket has a name which begins with a backward
              apostrophe (`) followed by one to five letters. Bucket
              names cannot contain numbers or punctuation. Bucket names
              are case-sensitive; uppercase and lowercase names are
              different. Examples of valid bucket names are:



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                   a
                   VALUE
                   Sales

              There are two steps to using total buckets. First, in the
              DETAIL section, you must specify which field(s) or
              calculation(s) are to be totalled. Second, in the
              SUBTOTAL and/or TOTAL sections, you must specify which
              buckets are to be printed.

              To add a field or calculation to a bucket, you simply
              place the bucket name at the end of the line which prints
              the value.  Note that the value is added to the bucket;
              it does not replace the value in the bucket.  Some
              examples:

                       :DETAIL
                       [COMMISSION]::COMM
                       (PRICE*QUANTITY):zzz,zzz.##:AMT
                       /1

              To print a total bucket in the SUBTOTAL or TOTAL section,
              place the name of the bucket inside square brackets.
              Calculations can include total buckets, just as they can
              include fields.  You should include a print mask to
              format the printed output.  Some examples:

                   :SUBTOTAL
                   [COMM]:z,zzz.##:
                   /1

                   :TOTAL
                   [COMM]:z,zzz.##:
                   ([AMT]/[COUNT*]):zzz,zzz.##:
                   /1

              PC-File automatically keeps track of both subtotals and
              totals under the same bucket name.  This way, the command
              to print the subtotal and the total are identical.  For a
              sample of how to use total buckets, try creating and
              saving a row report format which prints numeric fields.
              Then edit this report using the Command mode.  You will
              see the total bucket commands which PC-File has
              generated.





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              Sometimes it is useful to keep a count in a total bucket.
              You can add one to a bucket without printing anything
              with this command:

                   (1)::c

              The "calculation" always results in one, which is added
              to the bucket. The null mask, ::, tells PC-File not to
              print anything.  You would replace c in this example with
              the appropriate bucket name for your report.

              You can set a bucket to zero using this command:

                   (0-[x])::x

              This calculation subtracts the bucket value from zero,
              which always results in a negative bucket value. When the
              negative bucket value is added to the positive bucket
              value, the result is always zero. You would replace x in
              the above example with the appropriate bucket name for
              your report.

              String Buckets

              PC-File has another kind of bucket--string buckets.
              These contain text instead of total values.  String
              buckets are named the same as total buckets, except that
              they have a dollar sign ($) immediately after the
              backward apostrophe (`).  String buckets can hold any
              text up to 65 characters in length.

              To store text into a string bucket, simply include the
              string bucket name at the end of the line which prints
              the text.  Note that unlike total buckets, string buckets
              replace the previous contents with the new text.  There
              is no way to append text to a string bucket.  Below are a
              few examples of storing text into string buckets:

                   "George Washington" $NAME
                   [STATE]:@@:$ST
                   [SOC_SEC_NO]::$SSN
                   [KEYIN*Title]$TITLE







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              Printing string buckets is easy.  Just put the string
              bucket name inside square brackets.  You can include a
              print mask if you wish:

                       [$NAME]
                       [$SSN]:@@@-@@-@@@@:











































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              18.7.7  Sample Command Report

              Below is a sample Command report which demonstrates the
              use of various print commands:

                   :COVER
                   :HEADING
                   =21
                   "MONTHLY SALES REPORT"
                   /1
                   =4
                   "EMPNUM"
                   =16
                   "MONTH"
                   =26
                   "TRANS"
                   =38
                   "VOLUME"
                   =54
                   "AVG"
                   /1
                   =4
                   "------"
                   =16
                   "-----"
                   =26
                   "-----"
                   =37
                   "---------"
                   =52
                   "---------"
                   /2
                   :DETAIL
                   .CP 3
                   .IF(VOLUME < 1000)
                   =4
                   "(Volume too low to include)"
                   /2
                   .ELSE
                   =4
                   [EMPNUM]
                   =16
                   [MONTH]
                   =26
                   [TRANSACTION]
                   =37



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                   A 27,69
                   [VOLUME]:zz,zz#.##:`a
                   A 27,70
                   =52

                   Note: Continued on the next page











































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                   (VOLUME/TRANSACTION):zz,zz#.##:
                   /1
                   =4
                   "COMMENTS: "
                   [COMMENTS,1,65]
                   /2
                   .ENDIF
                   :SUBTOTAL
                   =34
                   "SUBTOTAL:  "
                   [`a]:z,zzz,zz#.##:
                   /1
                   .FF
                   :TOTAL
                   =44
                   "-------------"
                   /1
                   =37
                   "TOTAL: "
                   [`a]:zz,zzz,zz#.##:
                   /1
                   :FOOTING
                   =19
                   "*** COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL ***"
                   /1
                   =28
                   "Page "
                   [PAGE*]:zz#:
                   /3


              18.8  REPORT MENU


              After you choose a report format PC-File will display the
              Report Menu. You can now set the printing options for the
              report.












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                        [graphic N:\manual\rptmenu1.eps goes

















                      here] 



                            Figure 18.2: The Report Menu



              Your answers to the Report Menu questions are remembered
              by PC-File for each different report. The answers will be
              used as the default answers for the report whenever this
              menu is shown. Therefore you will not normally need to
              change any of the responses to this menu before printing
              the report.

              Let's briefly review each of the menu items.

              Output to Printer, Screen, Disk
                           PC-File can print a report to the printer,
                           screen or disk. To select the output device,
                           enter P, S, or D.

                           If you select Printer as the output device,
                           PC-File will print to the printer port
                           selected in the configuration setup. When
                           printing to disk you will be prompted for
                           the output filespec. This is the drive, path




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                           and file name that you want to print the
                           report to. For example, you might type:

                                C:\PCFDB\TEMP.LST

                           This would print the report to the file
                           TEMP.LST, on the C drive, in the PCFDB
                           subdirectory. The file printed to disk is an
                           ASCII file.

              Number of Copies
                           The second option on the Report Menu is the
                           number of copies to print. PC-File can print
                           up to 99 copies of a report in one printing.

              Line Spacing This option allows you to set the line
                           spacing in your report. The number you enter
                           is the number of new-line characters to be
                           printed after each line in the DETAIL
                           section is printed. To single-space your
                           report, enter 1. To double-space your
                           report, enter 2 and so on. If you enter 0
                           here, the DETAIL section of the report will
                           not be printed. This is useful when only the
                           subtotal or total information is required
                           and the detail lines are not needed.

              Do Subtotals Subtotal breaks allow you to separate groups
                           of related records, such as by month or by
                           department. You could cause a break to print
                           some subtotal values, leave some blank
                           lines, or eject to a new page.  The Subtotal
                           section of the report determines what will
                           occur.

                           PC-File can perform subtotal breaks on a
                           field, a portion of a field or on a
                           calculation, and allows up to nine levels of
                           subtotal breaks.  So for example you could
                           subtotal by product within salesperson
                           within department within division.  In
                           general, the outermost subtotal level should
                           be the current index field, or the primary
                           sort field.





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                           If you want subtotal breaks, enter Y at the
                           "Do Subtotals" prompt.  You will then be
                           asked for each subtotal trigger.  After you
                           have entered all the subtotal triggers you
                           want, just press F10.  You can select a
                           portion of a field using the form:
                           FIELD,start,length.  For example, to
                           subtotal by the first five digits of the zip
                           code field, you would enter: ZIP,1,5

                           You can cause subtotal breaks based on
                           calculations. An example of this would be to
                           cause a break between people who have
                           contributed less than $100 and people who
                           have contributed $100 or more. This subtotal
                           trigger would be entered as: (CONTRIB >=
                           100)

                           The example below shows a report using a
                           subtotal
                           break on the EMPNUM field.

                                MONTHLY SALES FIGURES - FIRST QUARTER 1991

                                EMPNUM  MONTH  VOLUME  TRANSACTIONS  AVERAGE
                                ======   ===   ======      ===       =======
                                12323    JAN   423.34       17         24.90
                                12323    FEB   545.35       24         22.72
                                12323    MAR   234.21       15         15.61
                                             -------------------------------
                                             1,202.90       56         21.48

                                19645    JAN   879.56       35         25.13
                                19645    FEB   758.24       20         37.91
                                19645    MAR   834.94       27         30.92
                                             -------------------------------
                                             2,472.74       82         30.15

                           Notice how each time the EMPNUM data
                           changes, subtotals for the previous group
                           are printed.

                           You can use group highlighting to avoid
                           having the subtotal field data repeat
                           unnecessarily. To use group highlighting
                           simply respond Y when prompted. Group



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                           highlighting works on every subtotal level.
                           The example below shows group highlighting
                           for the first subtotal break. The subtotal
                           break field is EMPNUM. Notice that the
                           employee number only prints for the first
                           record in the subtotal group.

                                MONTHLY SALES FIGURES - FIRST QUARTER 1991

                                EMPNUM  MONTH  VOLUME  TRANSACTIONS  AVERAGE
                                ======   ===   ======      ===       =======
                                12323    JAN   423.34       17         24.90
                                         FEB   545.35       24         22.72
                                         MAR   234.21       15         15.61
                                             -------------------------------
                                             1,202.90       56         21.48

                           See the section called "Advanced Subtotals"
                           for more information.

              Left Margin  The Left Margin parameter allows you to add
                           extra spaces to the left side of your
                           report. This is especially useful when you
                           want to have a larger left margin than your
                           report was designed for.

              Page Length  This option allows you to set the page
                           length for the report. This makes it easy to
                           print on different size paper or forms
                           without changing your configuration profile.
                           To change the number of lines per page,
                           enter the new page length.

                           PC-File calculates the number of data lines
                           to print on each page by subtracting the
                           number of lines in the HEADING and FOOTING
                           sections from the page length. To adjust
                           your top and bottom margins, edit the report
                           format and change the size of the HEADING
                           and FOOTING sections, respectively.

                           Note: If each page of your report is higher
                           than the previous one, increase the page
                           length; if lower, decrease it.





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                           Laser printers usually require a page length
                           of 60 when printing in portrait mode, while
                           other printers use 66. Laser printers
                           usually use 45 in landscape mode.

              Pause after each page
                           If you answer Y, the program waits for you
                           to press a key after printing each page.
                           This allows you to insert a new sheet of
                           paper if your printer has to be manually
                           operated.

              Start at which page number
                           Normally, printing starts on the first page
                           of a report. This option lets you start
                           printing on a later page. If you have
                           already printed part of the report and need
                           to restart printing (after a paper jam, for
                           example), this permits you to skip over what
                           has already been printed. You must use the
                           same selection criteria you used when you
                           originally printed the report.

              Type Size    PC-File can print a report using one of two
                           pre-defined print sizes. These sizes are
                           determined by the printer control codes set
                           by the /NORMAL and /CONDENSED commands in
                           your profiles. The Type Size parameter on
                           the report menu specifies which size to use.

                           You should always use condensed print if the
                           report is wider than your printer can print
                           using normal print. Usually, you should use
                           condensed print if your report exceeds 80
                           characters wide. If you print a report that
                           the printer cannot print on one line, the
                           printer will either wrap each line of the
                           report to the next line or it will print off
                           the edge of the paper.

                           Note: You must first configure PC-File for
                           your printer using the Utilities, Profiles
                           command; otherwise, PC-File only uses the
                           printer's default font and pitch.





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              Remove Blank Lines and Spaces
                           This option removes blank lines created by
                           empty fields and also removes trailing
                           spaces in a field. Blank lines defined in
                           the report using /n (where n is greater than
                           1) are not removed. Blank spaces defined in
                           the report using =n to tab to the right are
                           not removed. Removed blank lines are not
                           replaced. Do not use this option when you
                           need a consistent number of lines per record
                           (i.e. mailing labels, 3x5 cards, etc.)
                           Instead, use the .GROUP and .EGROUP R
                           commands to remove blank lines and use < >
                           around field names instead of [ ] to remove
                           trailing spaces.

              Flip Data Active
                           PC-File normally flips the data in a field
                           containing the flip character, ~ . You can
                           suppress the flip action by entering N to
                           the Flip data option. For example, if the
                           name field contains data entered in the
                           format LASTNAME~FIRSTNAME, and you answer Y,
                           PC-File prints FIRSTNAME  LASTNAME.

              Print All or Selected Records
                           The last option on the Report Menu allows
                           you to specify whether to print all or
                           selected records from the database. The
                           default answer is A for all records. If you
                           choose selected records you are prompted
                           whether to use a simple or complex search.
                           Refer to Chapter 14, "Finding A Record" for
                           more information.


              18.9  FINAL OUTPUT


              After you have answered the questions on the Report Menu,
              press (F10). At this point you are prompted for
              information about subtotals and selected records if these
              options were selected.

              Once all of the information has been entered, PC-File
              displays the first record to be printed, unless the



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              report is being printed to the screen. You are asked
              whether to print the record. This is the second level of
              selection. It allows you to manually select only certain
              records from the group selected by PC-File.

              You may press Y to print the current record, N to skip
              the record, X to print the record (and all remaining
              records that meet the selection criteria - without
              repeating this question), or Q to stop printing the
              report.

              If you press (Esc) while printing a report, the printing
              process terminates.


              18.10  COMMON PRINTING PROBLEMS


              This section lists some common problems with the final
              printout and how to correct the mistakes.

              18.10.1  PC-File prints question marks, ?????, instead of
              data.

              PC-File prints question marks when it does not recognize
              the field you are asking it to print. This happens when:

                    a field name is spelled incorrectly in the report

                    the report was defined for a different database
                     (one which has different field names)

                    the name of the field has changed since the report
                     was defined

                     If PC-File prints question marks where you asked
                     it to print a system field, check to make sure
                     that the system field name is followed by an
                     asterisk and that the system field name is entered
                     entirely in uppercase letters.

                     To correct the problem(s), edit the report using
                     the Command option and correct the spelling of the
                     field names and/or system fields. The field names
                     are displayed at the bottom of the screen, making
                     it easy for you to verify the correct spelling.



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              18.10.2  The report creeps up or down the page.

              There are several reasons why a report might creep up or
              down the page.

              1. The page length on the report menu may not be correct.
              Generally, if the report is creeping up the page, you
              should increase the page length on the Report menu. If
              the report is creeping down the page, you should decrease
              the page length.
              Normally, the page length is set to 66 lines per page.
              This is correct for most printers when printing on 11
              inch paper, printing 6 lines per inch. However, on most
              laser printers, you must set the page length on the
              Report menu and on the printer panel to 60 instead of 66.

              2. The printer may be wrapping information from one line
              to the next. This happens when the report is too wide for
              your printer to print. To correct this problem, you must
              edit the report using the Command option, and insert a
              new line containing /1 after the command to print the
              last field that fits on one line.  Alternatively, you may
              be able to print the report in condensed print to fit on
              one line.

              3. The report may not have a /1 at the end of each
              section. Generally, every section should end with at
              least one /1. The only exception to this rule if the
              section contains only an .FF.

              4. The report may not have a :FOOTING section that ends
              with at least one /1. Generally, every report must have a
              :FOOTING section with at least one /1 at the end. The
              only time a report does not need a :FOOTING section is
              when the report contains only a :DETAIL section, and the
              report is designed to print on continuous form labels or
              cards.

              18.10.3  The report prints on the perforation.

              There are three reasons why PC-File might print on the
              perforation.

              1. The report does not have a :FOOTING section, or the
              :FOOTING section is not defined to print a bottom margin
              (blank lines). The number of blank lines at the end of



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              the :FOOTING section determine the bottom margin of each
              page. Edit the report using the Command option and add
              the following lines:

                   :FOOTING
                   /6

              If the report already has a :FOOTING section, add /6 at
              the end of the section.

              A /6 as the last item of the :FOOTING section gives you a
              one inch bottom margin. You can increase 6 to increase
              the bottom margin (blank space at the bottom of each
              page), or decrease 6 to decrease bottom margin.

              PC-File determines how many lines of data to print per
              page by subtracting the number of lines in the :HEADING
              and :FOOTING section from the page length. For example,
              if the page length is 66 and there are 4 lines in the
              :HEADING section and 5 lines in the :FOOTING section,
              PC-File prints 57 lines of record data per page.

              Do not use the .CP command in the :DETAIL section to
              determine the bottom margin. The .CP command is used only
              to prevent data from being split between two pages.

              2. The page length is not correct. Refer to the section
              "The Report Creeps Up or Down the Page" above for more
              information.

              3. The initial page alignment is incorrect. To ensure the
              initial page alignment is correct, be sure the printer is
              aligned at the top of the page before printing begins. Do
              not manually move the paper in the printer. Use the
              buttons on the printer to move the paper. You can also
              align the paper in the printer, turn the printer off,
              then turn the printer on to reset the printer to the top
              of the page. On laser printers, make sure the Formfeed
              light is not on before you start printing.

              18.10.4  Nothing prints on the report or only headings
              print.

              There are four possible reasons why no data prints on the
              report.




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              1. You told PC-File not to print the detail information.
              To print the data from individual records, you must
              answer 1 for "Line spacing" on the Report menu. If you
              answer 0 for "Line spacing", data from individual records
              is not printed, and only the :COVER, :HEADING, :SUBTOTAL,
              :FOOTING and :TOTAL sections are printed.

              2. The report is not defined correctly. Make sure the
              commands to print data from individual records are below
              the :DETAIL line. When defining a Free Form or Command
              report, if you delete the section lines (:COVER,
              :HEADING, :DETAIL, etc.) or place the commands above
              these lines, the report is not defined correctly and will
              not print correctly.

              3. No records match the selection criteria used. Try
              printing the report selecting all records. If nothing
              prints, investigate the other possible reasons.

              4. The index or data file is damaged. If you see your
              records while browsing, this is not the reason.

              18.10.5  The heading only prints on the first page.

              There are two possible reasons why the heading
              information only prints on the first page.

              1. The heading information is actually defined in the
              :COVER section instead of the :HEADING section. The
              :COVER section is only printed once at the beginning of
              the report.

              2. The report does not contain a :FOOTING section with at
              least one /1 at the end.


              18.11  ADVANCED SUBTOTALS


              PC-File allows up to nine levels of subtotals. This is an
              advanced topic, so you may want to skip over this section
              if you are a new user of PC-File.  Several of the system
              fields which relate to subtotals can include a subtotal
              level reference after the asterisk.





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              [SUBLEVEL*]  Gives the level number of the subtotal break
                           which caused the current Subtotal section to
                           print.  One is the outermost level; nine is
                           the innermost.

              [SUBCMD*n]   Gives the actual subtotal trigger
                           calculation. If "n" is omitted, PC-File
                           returns the formula for the current level.
                           You can replace "n" with a specific level,
                           such as: [SUBCMD*6].

              [SUBCOUNT*n] Gives the number of records printed in a
                           subtotal group.  If "n" is omitted, PC-File
                           returns the number of records in the current
                           group.  You can replace "n" with a specific
                           level to determine the number of records in
                           that level. For example: [SUBCOUNT*3]

              [SUBFLD*n]   Gives the subtotal trigger field name.  If
                           "n" is omitted, PC-File returns the field
                           for the current level. You can replace "n"
                           with a specific level, such as: [SUBFLD*6]

              [SUBID*n]    Gives the current subtotal trigger field or
                           formula value. If "n" is omitted, PC-File
                           returns the value of the current level. You
                           can specify a specific level, like:
                           [SUBID*2]

              Individual buckets hold values from all subtotal levels
              at the same time. When you refer to a bucket in the
              Subtotal section of a report, PC-File assumes you want
              the value for the current subtotal level (the level which
              caused the current break). You can refer to a specific
              level by including a digit immediately after the bucket
              name. For example, to print the total of bucket `X for
              the outermost group, you would specify: [`X1]:zzz,zzz.zz:

              In all the above commands, level zero refers to the
              subtotal levels which are never cleared. [SUBCOUNT*0] is
              equivalent to [COUNT*].

              A typical SUBTOTAL section will use .IF statements to
              determine what action to take for each subtotal level.
              For example, a three-level report might print total
              buckets for levels two and three, print an extra blank



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              line for level two, and eject to a new page for level
              one:

                   :SUBTOTAL
                   .IF([SUBLEVEL*] > 1)
                   "Totals: "
                   [AMT]:zzz,zzz.##:
                   /1
                   .ENDIF
                   .IF([SUBLEVEL*] = 2)
                   /1
                   .ENDIF
                   .IF([SUBLEVEL*] = 1)
                   .FF
                   .ENDIF


































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                                     Chapter 19

                          USING THE LETTER WRITING FEATURES


              PC-File has a built-in letter writing and mail merge
              feature. With the letter writing feature, you can create
              a form letter and then merge data from your database to
              create personalized letters.


              19.1  CREATING YOUR LETTER


              Press L or (F5) from the Master Menu to access the letter
              writer.

              If you do not have any previously saved letters, you are
              asked to enter the column width of the letter. This is
              the number of columns per line. The default answer is 70.

              If you have previously saved any letters, you are shown a
              list of the letters. To create a new letter, place the
              cursor on the blank line and press (F10). To use an
              existing letter, move the cursor to the line containing
              the name of that letter and press (F10). You are asked to
              enter the column width of the letter. If you are creating
              a new letter, the default width is 70. If you are editing
              an existing letter, the default width is the column width
              you used the last time you edited the letter.

              Note: If you are editing a letter, do not use a smaller
              column width than you used the last time. If you do, the
              end of each line will be truncated.

              The letter screen looks like this:







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                         [graphic N:\manual\letter1.eps goes

















                      here] 



                          Figure 19.1: Letter writer screen



              Above the editing window is a brief summary of the types
              of mail merge commands you can include in your letter.
              The top line of the editing window displays the size of
              the window. The first number is the number of lines and
              the second number is the number of columns.

              Below the editing window, is a list of the field names in
              your database. The length of each field is displayed in
              parentheses next to the field name.

              You can now create or edit the letter, using the mail
              merge commands where necessary. You can also include
              calculations or relational lookups.

              After you have finished writing your letter, press (F10).
              If you made any changes to the letter, PC-File asks if
              you want to save it. If you answer Y, you are asked to
              provide a description of the letter, then a name. PC-File
              automatically includes the .LTR file extension.




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              19.2  THE MAIL MERGE COMMANDS


              The merge commands are typed into your letter just like
              standard text. However, PC-File recognizes the special
              characters in the merge commands and replaces them with
              data from the database. The merge commands all start with
              a period. All commands must be entered in uppercase.

              Following are the merge commands and their meanings.

              .<fieldname> This is a variable length substitution. Data
                           is extracted from the field indicated. Then,
                           the excess spaces to the right and left of
                           the data are removed, and the result is
                           inserted into the letter. Replace
                           "fieldname" with the name of a field in your
                           database. You may use an abbreviated field
                           name.

              .[fieldname] This is a fixed length substitution. Data is
                           extracted from the field indicated, but no
                           spaces are inserted or removed. Instead, the
                           data is placed in the space allocated in
                           your letter as indicated by the left and
                           right square brackets. The number of
                           characters printed is equal to the number of
                           positions between the left and right square
                           brackets. This is useful for lining up data
                           in columns. Replace "fieldname" above with
                           the name of the field in your database. You
                           may use an abbreviated field name.

              .<KEYIN*msg> The .<KEYIN*msg> command is used when you
                           want PC-File to pause to accept input from
                           the keyboard operator. Replace "msg" with an
                           appropriate message. When PC-File processes
                           the .<KEYIN*msg> command, PC-File stops
                           printing and lets you type the data to be
                           included in the letter. The message you
                           enter is displayed on the screen as
                           information to the user. After you press
                           (F10) or (Enter), PC-File continues with the
                           remainder of the letter.





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                           Note: The letter writer does not
                           automatically reformat your line when the
                           <KEYIN*> data is inserted. You need to be
                           careful that the <KEYIN*> information won't
                           be too long.

              .<DATE*>     You may want to print this letter in the
                           future. Rather than typing in the date, then
                           changing it each time you print letters, you
                           can use the .<DATE*> command. PC-File
                           inserts the system date here when it prints
                           the letter.

                           Note: If your computer does not have a
                           clock/calendar, you need to enter the
                           current date using the DOS DATE command
                           before starting PC-File.

              .GROUP       This causes all lines following the line
                           with .GROUP to be treated as a group, until
                           an .EGROUP command is encountered. All blank
                           lines between .GROUP and .EGROUP are
                           removed. .GROUP must be entered on a line by
                           itself, starting at column 1.

              .EGROUP      This ends a .GROUP. If any blank lines are
                           found in a group, they are removed. .EGROUP
                           must be on a line by itself, starting at
                           column 1.

              .EGROUP  R   This is another form of the .EGROUP command,
                           except that the blank lines that were
                           removed are re-inserted at this point. This
                           is used for maintaining exact line spacing
                           in your letter. .EGROUP  R must be on a line
                           by itself, starting at column 1.

              .FORMFEED    This is how you tell PC-File when to skip to
                           a new page. If your letter is only one page
                           long, .FORMFEED should be placed on the last
                           line of the letter. If your letter is
                           several pages long, place one .FORMFEED
                           between each page of the letter and one on
                           the last line of the letter. .FORMFEED must
                           be on a line by itself, starting at column
                           1.



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              .FF          Same as .FORMFEED above. .FF must be on a
                           line by itself, starting at column 1.

              .CP n        The .CP n (Conditional Page) command skips
                           to a new page, but only if there are less
                           than n lines left on a page. For example, if
                           PC-File encounters a .CP 8, it checks to see
                           how many lines are left on the page. If
                           there are less than eight lines left, the
                           printer skips to the next page.

              .<(calculation)>
                           You can place a calculation in your letter.
                           The calculation has the same format as
                           calculations in reports. The answer is
                           placed at this location in your printed
                           letter. You can include an edit mask
                           following the calculation to specify the
                           format of the answer. For example:

                                .<(AGE*365.25):zz,zz#.##:>

              .<(relational lookup)>
                           You can do a relational lookup into other
                           databases. This command has the same format
                           as relational lookup fields in reports. The
                           lookup answer is inserted in your letter at
                           this location. You can include an edit mask
                           to specify the format of the answer. For
                           example:

                                .<(@PARTNO,PARTSDB,PART,DESC):@@@@@@@@@@@@:>

              .A nn,nn,nn  (ASCII command)
                           Special printer control codes can be
                           imbedded in the body of your letter by using
                           the .A command. This is used for
                           highlighting portions of the text. The .A is
                           followed by a space, then by the decimal
                           values of printer control characters, each
                           separated by a comma. A space must follow
                           the last digit in the command. The space at
                           the end of the command is not printed.
                           Here's an example that emphasizes the word
                           "very" (on an Epson printer):




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                                Yours .A 27,69 very .A 27,70 truly,

                           This will print as follows on an IBM/Epson
                           compatible printer:

                                Yours very truly,

              .IF (calculation)
              .ELSE
              .ENDIF       The .IF command brings great flexibility to
                           your letter writing. It allows you to
                           include or omit text from your letter
                           depending on the data in the record. Here's
                           an example of an .IF statement:

                                .IF (MIDDLE = "       ")
                                .<FIRST> .<LAST>
                                .ELSE
                                .<FIRST> .<MI> .<LAST>
                                .ENDIF

                           Notice that a comparison type of calculation
                           is always included on the same line with the
                           .IF statement.  This comparison can contain
                           anything that is legal in a complex search.
                           Also, each .IF command must be ended with a
                           .ENDIF command. The commands .IF(condition),
                           .ELSE and .ENDIF must be entered on a line
                           by themselves, starting at column 1. Refer
                           to the chapter "Printing Reports" for more
                           information on .IF commands.


              19.3  PRINTING LETTERS


              After you have created the letter, press (F10). If you
              made any changes to the letter, you're asked if you want
              to save the letter. If you answer "Yes", you first name
              the letter, and then include a description for the
              letter.

              Now you're ready to print. You are shown the Report Menu.
              For more information about this menu, refer to Chapter
              18, "Printing Reports."




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              19.4  AN EXAMPLE LETTER


              Let's look at an example letter:




                         [graphic N:\manual\letter2.eps goes

















                      here] 



                             Figure 19.2: Example letter



              The .GROUP and .EGROUP commands keep your address
              information all grouped together, even if the field
              called COMPANY is empty in some of the records.

              The data from the FIRSTNAME field is printed where
              .<FIRSTNAME> is included. The data from the LASTNAME
              field is printed where .<LASTNAME> is included. PC-File
              continues printing the letter, replacing the merge
              commands with the correct data.

              PC-File then performs the calculation and inserts the
              answer into the body of the letter.



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              PC-File stops on the line containing the .<KEYIN*insult>
              command and waits for keyboard input. A message is
              displayed reminding you to type an insult. After you type
              your reply and press (Enter) or (F10), PC-File prints the
              reply and continues with the rest of the letter.

              The .FF command at the bottom of the letter advances the
              printer to a new page for the next letter.


              19.5  CREATING LETTERS WITH YOUR WORD PROCESSOR


              If your word processor can save data in a pure ASCII
              format, you can use it to create letters for use with
              PC-File. Be sure that the letters you create with your
              word processor are saved with the file extension .LTR.
              The .LTR file must be saved or copied to the drive and
              subdirectory containing the database.






























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                                     Chapter 20

                                GRAPHING THE DATABASE


              PC-File can give you a graphic view of your data. The
              graphing capabilities of PC-File are especially powerful
              because they allow you to summarize large volumes of data
              into an easily understood picture.

              Here are some graphs that were produced with PC-File.
              Please refer to these sample charts in the discussion
              that follows.




                         [graphic N:\manual\agraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                      Figure 20.1: Chart A: Vertical Bar Chart








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                         [graphic N:\manual\bgraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                     Figure 20.2: Chart B: Horizontal Bar Chart




                         [graphic N:\manual\cgraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                          Figure 20.3: Chart C: Line Graph









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                         [graphic N:\manual\dgraph.eps goes














                      here] 



                           Figure 20.4: Chart D: Pie Chart




                         [graphic N:\manual\egraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                         Figure 20.5: Chart E: Scatter Chart







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                         [graphic N:\manual\fgraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                     Figure 20.6: Chart F: Cumulative Line Chart




                         [graphic N:\manual\ggraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                     Figure 20.7: Chart G: Cumulative Bar Chart









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                         [graphic N:\manual\hgraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                      Figure 20.8: Chart H: Vertical Bar Chart




                         [graphic N:\manual\igraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                       Figure 20.9: Chart I: Stacked Bar Chart









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                         [graphic N:\manual\jgraph.eps goes














                      here] 



                          Figure 20.10: Chart J: Pie Chart




                         [graphic N:\manual\kgraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                        Figure 20.11: Chart K: Scatter Chart







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                         [graphic N:\manual\lgraph.eps goes












                      here] 



                      Figure 20.12: Chart L: Smoothed Averages



              These types of graphs can be produced:

                  -  Line graphs (see charts C,L)
                  -  Horizontal bar charts (see chart B)
                  -  Vertical bar charts (see charts A,H,I)
                  -  Pie charts (see charts D,J)
                  -  Overlapped bar charts (see chart I)
                  -  Cumulative bar and line charts (see charts F,G)
                  -  Scatter charts (see charts E,K)

              There are several optional features which can be added to
              all the graphs above, excluding pie charts:

              You can include a grid on the graph to aid in
              interpreting individual data point positions (see chart
              K).

              The average of the data can be calculated and shown on
              the graph with a dashed line (see chart L).

              Smoothed (moving) averages can also be shown, overlaid on
              the rest of the graph. These averages can be extremely
              useful for indicating trends that wouldn't otherwise show
              up due to wide fluctuations in individual data points
              (see chart K).



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              A projection line (regression line) can be drawn on your
              graph. This is a straight line that represents the "best
              fit" to your data. The "method of least squares" is used
              to compute the formula for the line (see chart E).

              Any line, bar, or scatter graph can be replotted on a
              logarithmic scale. (See chart H).

              Here are basic descriptions of what each graph can and
              cannot be used for.  This should help you decide which
              format to choose when summarizing the data in your
              database.

              Line Graphs  In general, line graphs are useful for
                           seeing trends--increases or decreases over
                           time.  For example, each line on Chart C
                           shows how total sales for each fruit changed
                           over the last four years.

                           Line graphs can also be used to plot
                           engineering or scientific data.  How
                           temperature readings in one city vary over
                           several months, or how a car's gas mileage
                           changes as the r.p.m.'s increase are two
                           simple examples of possible uses for line
                           graphs.

              Scatter Graphs
                           Scatter graphs are very similar to line
                           graphs.  (Line graphs are actually scatter
                           graphs with lines drawn between the points.)
                           Scatter graphs are most useful when you have
                           a lot of points to plot.  As a general rule,
                           if you will be plotting more than 20 points,
                           a scatter graph or line graph will give you
                           a clearer visual summary of your information
                           than one of the other graph formats.

              Pie Charts   Pie charts are the least flexible of all the
                           graph choices.  They are primarily used to
                           compare or show percentages.  If you want
                           your graph to answer the question, "how much
                           of the pie did this person/these people
                           get?" you probably want a pie chart.





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                           Notice that charts D and J do not show a
                           total sales amount over four years for
                           apples and oranges; pie charts don't show
                           totals.  Charts D and J do show what
                           percentage each year contributed to the four
                           year total.  A product's market share or an
                           employee's performance compared to other
                           employees are two possible uses of pie
                           charts.

                           Pie charts are not good if you will be
                           plotting many fields, or if you will have
                           many subtotal breaks.  The wedges become
                           cluttered if you have more than 10 or 15
                           wedges.

              Bar Graphs   Bar graphs are one of the most versatile of
                           all the graph formats.  Like pie charts,
                           they are useful for visual comparison, but
                           instead of showing you a percentage, bar
                           graphs show actual numeric amounts.  Like
                           line graphs, you can use bar graphs to show
                           trends by plotting the values of one or
                           several fields' data over time.

                           The strong point of bar graphs is their
                           ability to show numerical amounts, be it
                           dollars, time, mileage, etc. The choice
                           between horizontal or vertical bar graphs is
                           strictly a matter of preference.  You can
                           easily switch between either style to decide
                           which you prefer.


              20.1  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS


              If your computer has only an IBM monochrome monitor
              (without a Hercules compatible monochrome graphics card)
              you cannot use the graphing features in PC-File.  Devices
              supported by the PC-File graphing utility include:

                    CGA adapter
                    EGA adapter
                    VGA adapter
                    Hercules compatible monochrome card



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                    Epson (FX) style dot matrix printers
                    Epson (MX) / IBM style dot matrix printers
                    Okidata dot matrix printers
                    HP Laserjet printers
                    PostScript printers

              Note: If your printer is not listed, refer to the section
              at the end of this chapter for information on printing.

              20.1.1  Using Hercules Graphics

              If you have a Hercules compatible graphics card and
              monitor, you must run a special program before you can
              produce graphs. The program is called MSHERC.COM. It was
              placed on your hard disk when you installed PC-File.

              MSHERC.COM only needs to be run once each time you boot
              up your computer. Run it directly from the DOS prompt.
              Most people prefer to put the command MSHERC directly in
              their AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it is run automatically
              each time they turn on their computer. Refer to your DOS
              manual for more information on the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.


              20.2  DEFINING YOUR GRAPH


              Throughout this section we will refer to a fruit stand
              owner's database to give examples of how to answer the
              various questions to create a graph like Charts A-L.  If
              you want to see how each sample graph was created you may
              go to the end of this section for a brief summary of the
              answers to each definition question.

              The fruit stand owner keeps track of daily sales of
              apples, oranges, and cherries in her database.  She wants
              to see how sales of each fruit have increased or
              decreased over the past few years.  A record in her
              database looks like this:

                       Date [        ]  today's date: year, month, day
                     Apples [      ]    dollar sales for apples today
                    Oranges [      ]    dollar sales for oranges
                   Cherries [      ]    dollar sales for cherries





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              To use the graphing feature, press G or (F4) from the
              Master Menu.

              If you have previously defined and saved any graph
              formats, you'll be shown a list of them. To define a new
              graph format, press F10 with the cursor on the top
              (blank) entry in the menu.

              20.2.1  Subtotals vs. Totals

              The first question PC-File asks when you begin defining a
              graph is:




                         [graphic N:\manual\graph1.eps goes








                           here] 



                         Figure 20.13: Subtotals Vs. Totals



              Subtotals and totals are the most difficult concept in
              the graphing utility.  If you do not fully understand how
              subtotals work or what they do, you should read the
              section on subtotals in the chapter on Printing reports.

              Here are some general guidelines to help you decide
              whether you want subtotals or totals.

              Subtotals give you more power and more flexibility in
              your graphs than totals.  (All of the sample graphs shown
              at the beginning of this chapter were created using the
              subtotals option.)  When you specify subtotals, you tell
              PC-File that you want it to accumulate the values in a



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              field(s) until something changes in another field in the
              database.  Each time the information in the subtotal
              trigger field changes, PC-File will begin accumulating
              new totals on the field(s) you specified.

              The number of points on your graph will be the number of
              fields you list to graph times the number of changes that
              occur in the field you specify for the subtotal trigger.
              In general, the database must be indexed or sorted by the
              subtotal trigger fields.

              Totals are easier to work with than subtotals, but they
              are less flexible.  If you want a true total of a
              field(s) for all the records in your database, pick
              totals.

              The fruit stand owner chooses subtotals because she wants
              to chart the growth of her stand's sales over the last
              four years.

              20.2.2  Number the fields to be graphed

              The second question PC-File asks is:

                             Number the fields to be graphed
                    Field 1 will graph at the left, then field 2, etc.
                       Date [        ]  the data today: year, month, day
                     Apples [1     ]    dollar sales for apples today
                    Oranges [2     ]    dollar sales for oranges
                   Cherries [3     ]    dollar sales for cherries

              The owner wants to see sales for each fruit, so she puts
              a number beside each field.  Apples will appear leftmost
              on the graph. The other fields with numbers by them will
              appear in respective order to the right of the first
              field.

              20.2.3  Accumulate Values or Counts

              After you've listed the fields to graph, a box will
              appear asking you to specify values or counts.

              If you specify values, PC-File will calculate totals from
              the  numbers stored in each field you designated to
              graph.




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              If you specify counts, instead of adding the numbers in
              the fields, PC-File will count the number of records that
              get processed.  Values generally mean "How much?"  Counts
              usually mean "How often?" or "How many?"

              An example where counts would be used instead of values
              might occur in a database which keeps track of all the
              salespeople in the company.  If the boss wants to see how
              many sales each employee made rather than the dollar
              amount each employee's sold, counts would be the correct
              answer.  Counts are also useful when the information is
              not numeric.

              Values are the fruit stand owner's choice, because she
              wants the program to calculate yearly sales for each year
              she has been in business.

              20.2.4  Graph Titles

              You will now be asked to enter some graph titles.

              Permanent Title
                           This is the main title.  The title will
                           appear centered at the top of the graph, in
                           large characters. On Chart A the permanent
                           title is YEARLY FRUIT SALES.

              Subtitle     This title will appear centered on the line
                           directly below the the main title.  On Chart
                           A the subtitle is By Product.

              Variable Axis Title
                           The variable title should describe the units
                           or contents of whatever is contained in the
                           fields you listed to graph.  The fruit stand
                           owner keeps track of Dollars in each field.
                           This title appears vertically centered at
                           the far left on Chart A.

              Categories Title
                           The category title should describe the
                           field(s) you listed to be graphed.  The
                           fruit stand owner is graphing apples,
                           oranges, and cherries, so she enters
                           Products for the category title on Chart A.




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                           This title appears centered at the bottom of
                           the graph.

                           Note:  The name of the field you choose for
                           subtotal triggers will appear as the title
                           for the graph legend.  On Chart C, DATE is
                           the field for subtotal triggers.  It appears
                           above the legend located on the right hand
                           side of the graph.  By pressing X for
                           e(X)change, you can toggle the Category
                           title and the Legend title positions.  The
                           graph will be replotted accordingly.

              20.2.5  Default Graph Type

              After supplying all of the graph titles, the following
              screen will appear:




                         [graphic N:\manual\graph2.eps goes











                           here] 



                          Figure 20.14: Default Graph Type



              The graph type you choose here will be the first graph to
              appear after the graph is defined.  If you change your
              mind after the graph is on the screen, it's very easy to
              toggle between the other graph types.




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              The fruit stand owner chooses the (V)ertical Bar Chart
              option.  See chart A.

              20.2.6  Saving Graph Formats

              The answers to all of the questions you just answered can
              be saved in a graph format file for future use.  PC-File
              asks if you want to save the graph format.  If you answer
              N, you will have to answer all the questions again if you
              want to view your graph at a later time.  If you will be
              producing this graph often, you should answer Y.

              If you've answered Y, you will be asked to supply a
              description for the graph.  This description will appear
              to the side of the format name each time you enter the
              graphing utility.  Then you will be asked to enter the
              format name.  Type an appropriate name in the space
              provided, and press Enter.  All your answers will be
              saved to the format name with a .GR extension on the
              current drive and directory.

              If you saved some graph formats which you later decide
              you don't need, you can use the Utilities, Maintenance
              option in PC-File to delete them, or you can delete them
              at the DOS level using the DELETE command.

              20.2.7  Which field to trigger subtotals?

              If you chose to summarize your graph with subtotals, you
              are asked:




                         [graphic N:\manual\graph3.eps goes





                            here] 



                      Figure 20.15: Field To Trigger Subtotals




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              Note:  You must either index the field on which you
              trigger subtotals AND make that index active. OR
              immediately before entering the graphing utility you must
              sort your database on the field to trigger subtotals.

              It is vital that the active index be on the field you
              choose for your subtotal trigger.  Press (Alt)I to change
              to the proper index now if you have not already done so.

              The field you choose to be the subtotal trigger will
              determine how PC-File summarizes your data.  This
              question is really asking, "Which field should be watched
              for a change?"

              You can tell PC-File to look at the whole field or at a
              substring of the field. To choose a substring, enter the
              field name, followed by the starting position, followed
              by the length of the string.  For example, the fruit
              stand owner wants to accumulated subtotals according to
              years in her database.  She answers DATE,1,2.  This
              causes a total to be plotted whenever there is a change
              in the first two characters of the DATE field.

              PC-File will begin keeping separate subtotals or counts
              for the field(s) you told it to graph while it looks for
              a change in the subtotal trigger field. Each time the
              information changes in the subtotal trigger field, PC-
              File will store the current subtotals, and begin keeping
              a new set. The fruit stand owner has been keeping sales
              records for four years, so there will be four sets of
              subtotals for each type of fruit.

              You have the option of specifying multiple levels of
              subtotals. However, this will almost never produce a
              useful graph.  Unless you are positive that you want
              multiple levels, you should only choose one. See the
              report section of the manual for more information on
              subtotal triggers.

              20.2.8  Include All or Selected records?

              PC-File is almost ready to produce the graph. The last
              question you will be asked is whether you want to graph
              All or selected records. To use all of the records in the
              database, answer A. To graph only a subset of the
              database, answer S. If you answer S, you'll be prompted



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              to enter the "Type of search?"  Refer to Chapter 14,
              "Finding A Record" if you need more information on how to
              perform searches.


              20.3  SUMMARY TABLE OF ANSWERS FOR EXAMPLES


              Here is a summary of the answers we gave to create the
              sample graphs shown at the beginning of the chapter:

                                  Graphs A-J               Graphs K-L

              Subtotals/Totals   Subtotals                Subtotals

              Fields Graphed     Apples,Oranges,Cherries
              Apples,Oranges,Cherries

              Values/Counts      Values                   Values

              Graph Title:
                   Permanent     Yearly Fruit Sales       1989 Fruit
              Sales Through July

                   Subtitle      By Product               By Product

                   Variable      Dollars                  Dollars

                   Category      Products                 Products

              Field for
              Subtotal Trigger   Date,3,2                 Date,5,2

              All/Selected       All                      Selected

              Search Type        N/A                      Complex:

              (((DATE(@DAY#,mdy))>("12/31/88"(@DAY#,mdy)))&((DATE(@DAY#,mdy))<("08/01/89"(@DAY#,mdy))))


              20.4  VIEWING YOUR GRAPH


              After you've answered all the necessary questions, you
              should see a graph on your screen. To display the graph




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              menu lines, press M. Two menu lines should appear at the
              bottom of the graph.

              The top menu line, the GENERAL line, is the same no
              matter what type of graph you've chosen. It looks like
              this:

              GENERAL: (O)utput (C)olor (M)enu (Q)uit (L)ine (P)ie
              (H)bar (V)bar (S)catter

              The bottom menu line varies depending on what type of
              graph is currently displayed.

              To choose any of the menu items, just press the indicated
              key.

              20.4.1  General Menu Line Options

              Here's a summary of the commands available on the GENERAL
              menu line:

              (O)utput     This command is used to print the graph.
                           After pressing O, you'll be shown two other
                           menus:

                                Press P for Portrait (upright)
                                L for Landscape (sideways)
                                Q or Esc to cancel

                           This menu allows you to select the direction
                           the graph will printed on the paper.
                           Selecting Portrait (upright), will cause the
                           graph to be printed straight up and down.
                           The size of this output is smaller than if
                           you select the Landscape option.

                           The Landscape option will print your graph
                           rotated by 90 degrees, and is fairly close
                           to the size you would want for making view
                           foils.

                           After selecting the output orientation, the
                           next menu is displayed:






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                                Press E for Epson
                                I for IBM
                                L for Laserjet
                                O for Okidata
                                S for Postscript
                                (Q or Esc to cancel)

                           For Epson MX compatible printers, choose I.
                           For Epson FX compatible printers, choose E.
                           Okidata printers in IBM mode should use I,
                           while those in Okidata mode should use O.
                           For HP compatible laser printers, choose L.
                           If your printer has a PostScript driver,
                           choose S.

                           If you select S for Postscript, the
                           following menu appears:

                                To Postscript file press: P for pattern fill,
                                F for gray fill
                                To Postscript printer press S for pattern fill,
                                G for gray fill

                           After you select the printer, the menu lines
                           are temporarily removed from the screen
                           until after the graph is printed.  As the
                           graph is printing, the screen colors will
                           change to their "negative" colors to show
                           the progress of the printing process. When
                           creating Postscript output, the graph is
                           redrawn twice.

                           When printing is completed, the graph will
                           be redrawn and the menu redisplayed
                           (depending upon the state of the M toggle.)

                           Note: If you are printing a Pie chart, it
                           will be redrawn when you select the
                           orientation of the output. The aspect ratio
                           defined for the selected orientation will be
                           used.

              (C)olor      Some colors may not show up clearly on your
                           screen. The Color command allows you to
                           select those colors which show up best and
                           also permits you to select the foreground



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                           and background colors. Your selections will
                           be saved in the file PCG2.ASP so you will
                           not have to redefine them every time you use
                           PCG2.

                           After you press C a screen like the one
                           below will be displayed:




                                [graphic N:\manual\graph4.eps goes

















                             here] 



                                   Figure 20.16: Color Command



                           First set the foreground and background
                           colors to your taste by repeatedly pressing
                           the F and B keys.  Whenever F or B is
                           pressed, the colors displayed inside the box
                           will change and the selection toggles (Y/N)
                           will all be set to Y.

                           Next press the number keys 1, 2, .. n, (n is
                           normally 6 or 7) to toggle the detail color



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                           selection. If an "N" is displayed in the
                           box, the color for the corresponding number
                           has been turned OFF and you will not be able
                           to see the color at all. This means the
                           color will not be used in any of the graphs.
                           Press the corresponding number again to turn
                           it back on.

                           When you are finished, press Q. Only those
                           colors displayed will be used in your
                           graphs.

                           Note: If your graphs are displayed in black
                           and white, the "(C)olor" option will have no
                           effect. PCG2 attempts to provide you with
                           the maximum resolution your graphics adapter
                           will support. For this reason, CGA will
                           always be displayed in black and white, even
                           though your monitor can display colors. EGA
                           and VGA can display color, if you are using
                           a color monitor.

              (M)enu       This command toggles the menu lines on or
                           off the screen.  If the menu lines are not
                           displayed, pressing M will bring them back.
                           If you press M a second time, they will
                           disappear. When the menu lines are not
                           displayed, the message (press M for menu) is
                           shown at the lower-right of your screen. You
                           can press Shift F1 to remove this message.

                           The menu lines do not need to be showing for
                           you to choose any of these options.  (When
                           you print the graph, the menu lines are
                           removed for you automatically.)

              (Q)uit       The Quit command takes you out of the
                           graphing mode and back to the PC-File Master
                           Menu.

              (L)ine       When you press the L key for the GENERAL
                           line of the Main Menu, a line graph is
                           displayed.

              (P)ie:       When you press P from the GENERAL line of
                           the Main Menu, a pie chart will be drawn.



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              (H)bar:      When you press the H key from the GENERAL
                           line of the Main Menu, a horizontal bar
                           chart is drawn.

              (V)bar:      When you press the V key from the GENERAL
                           line of the Main Menu, a vertical bar chart
                           is drawn.

              (S)catter:   Pressing the S key from the Main Menu
                           produces a scatter diagram (points are not
                           connected).

              20.4.2  Bottom Menu Line Options

              The following bottom line menus will appear depending
              upon which graph you choose to view:

              LINE:(B)ound(T)-log(G)rid(X)chg c(U)m(A)vg(F)it (0-9)-
              Smoothed Avg

              PIE: (A)spect (W)edge (D)isp (X)chg (1-2)#pies (N)ext
              group

              SCATTER:(B)ound(T)-log(G)rid (X)chg (A)vg (F)it (0-9)-
              Smoothed Avg

              For both Horizontal and Vertical bar graphs, the second
              line of the Main Menu will be:

              BAR: (B)ound (T)-log (G)rid (X)chg c(U)m (A)vg ov(E)rlap

              Below is a summary of all the possible menu choices
              available from the bottom menu line.  Not all the options
              are available with every graph type.

              (B)ound      If a "BOUND" command exists in the GRAPH.ME
                           file, pressing the B key will toggle the
                           axes of the scatter diagram between their
                           normal values and those specified in the
                           "BOUND" command. If no "BOUND" command
                           exists, this option will not be displayed
                           and only the normal values for the axes will
                           be available. Please see the section "If You
                           Have Problems" at the end of the chapter for
                           details on using the "BOUND" command.




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              (T)-log      This command changes the scaling along the
                           vertical axis of the graph. The first time
                           you press T, the scaling is changed to a
                           logarithmic scale. The next time you press
                           T, scaling will revert back to the more
                           common arithmetic scale.  Sample chart H
                           shows a logarithmic scale.

              (G)rid       The Grid command causes grid lines to be
                           placed on the chart. To remove the grid
                           lines, just select Grid command a second
                           time.  Sample chart K has a grid.

              (X)chg       The Xchg command is only used when you are
                           graphing multiple variables.  Pressing the X
                           key swaps the elements of multiple variables
                           and their group designations.  For example,
                           if each group of data was represented by a
                           year, and each element of a group was a type
                           of fruit, the (X)chg command would cause
                           each group to be a type of fruit and each
                           element of a group to be a year.  Sample
                           chart I was created by pressing X while
                           viewing chart A.

              c(U)m        Pressing the U key produces cumulative
                           graphs and is most useful when graphing
                           multiple variables.  The Y value of the
                           points for each group at a given position on
                           the X axis are totaled to produce this
                           graph. The "ov(E)rlap" option and
                           logarithmic scaling are not available for
                           this type of display. Sample charts F & G
                           are cumulative charts made respectively from
                           charts A & G.

              (A)vg        This command draws a line across the graph
                           showing the average or mean of all the data.
                           This allows you to easily see which
                           categories are above average, and which are
                           below.  See sample chart L.

              (F)it        Pressing the F key will draw a line across
                           your graph showing the "best fit" line for
                           the points plotted. This type of line is
                           usually used to show trends in your data,



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                           over time. The regression line is calculated
                           using the "method of least squares." See
                           sample chart E.

              (0-9)Smoothed Avg
                           Pressing any of the number keys, 0 through
                           9, causes a smoothed average line to be
                           superimposed on your graph. Smoothed
                           averages are used to show trends when you
                           have a lot of data which varies
                           considerably.

                           The smoothed average is produced by
                           calculating an average for each category on
                           the graph--all of the values a certain
                           distance to the left and right of the
                           category get averaged.

                           The number you select controls the amount of
                           smoothing used; it becomes the number of
                           points to the left and to the right that are
                           included in the smoothed average. For
                           example, if you press 2, then 2 points to
                           the left, the current point, and 2 points to
                           the right are included in the average for
                           each plotted point.  The higher the number
                           you choose, the greater the amount of
                           smoothing.

                           The smoothed average is used on line charts
                           or on scatter charts. Sample chart K was
                           produced using a scatter chart selecting 1
                           for smoothing.

              (A)spect     Pressing the A key permits you to change the
                           aspect ratio used for displaying and
                           printing pie charts. If this ratio is not
                           correct, pies will appear elliptical instead
                           of round.  The new aspect ratio you choose
                           will be saved and used for subsequent
                           graphs.

                           When you press A, a new screen will display
                           a circle inside a square. A short horizontal
                           line also appears inside the circle. A new
                           menu is also shown:



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                                [graphic N:\manual\graph5.eps goes

















                             here] 



                                   Figure 20.17: Aspect Command



                           The circle displayed on this screen shows
                           the way a circle will look on your monitor.
                           You should adjust the horizontal and
                           vertical dimensions (using the arrow keys)
                           until the "circle" appears round and the
                           "square" appears square.

                           The left arrow will reduce the horizontal
                           width.  The right arrow will increase the
                           horizontal width. The up arrow will reduce
                           the vertical height. The down arrow will
                           increase the vertical height.

                           You should also set the aspect ratio for
                           your printer for both portrait (upright) and




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                           landscape (sideways) printing. Press P or L,
                           and this menu will appear:


                                PRINTER:
                                Press Q when satisfied. Press P to print image.
                                Press  to shrink (Hz/Vert)   to grow
                                (Hz/Vert)

                           Pressing Q returns you to the previous menu.
                           Arrow keys adjust the shapes as before, and
                           P activates the printer menu discussed under
                           (O)utput.

                           Press P, select your printer, and see what
                           shape the circle has when it is printed.
                           (The line inside the circle should help you
                           differentiate between vertical and
                           horizontal on your screen vs. vertical and
                           horizontal on your printed output.)

                           Use the arrow keys to adjust the shape
                           accordingly, and try printing again. Repeat
                           this process until the "circle" appears
                           round when printed. (It will probably appear
                           elliptical on your screen.) Once it appears
                           round, press Q and then repeat the process
                           for the other print orientation (portrait or
                           landscape).

                           These aspect ratios will be saved in the
                           file PCG2.ASP so you will not have to go
                           through this process every time you run the
                           program.

                           Note: If sending the output to Postscript,
                           the circles are always round. Therefore, it
                           is not necessary to set these aspect ratios.

              (W)edge      Pressing W will bring up a new screen with
                           which you can emphasize wedges by pulling
                           them away from the center of the pie. Your
                           selection(s) will apply to all pies.   See
                           chart J.





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                           The following instructions are displayed in
                           the menu area:

                           As each slice is made solid, press D to
                           detach, A to attach or S to skip. Press N to
                           return all slices to pie or Q to terminate
                           operation.

                           A pie is drawn containing a section for each
                           group of data. The first slice of the pie is
                           displayed with a solid color. Pressing:

                           D -causes the solid slice to be (D)etached.
                           A -causes the solid slice to be (A)ttached.
                           S -(S)kips the solid slice and moves to the
                           next one.
                           N -returns all detached slices to the center
                           of the pie and exits the wedge option.
                           Q -(Q)uits the slice definition. All
                           modifications are in effect.

                           If the circuit of slices around the pie is
                           completed before you press Q, the wedge
                           option is complete, and you are returned to
                           your normal pie display.

              (D)isp       Pressing D toggles the method used to
                           display labels. This can help unclutter the
                           display area. Compare sample charts D and J.
                           The options are:

                           1. headings and percents by their slices.
                           2. headings next to legend - percents next
                           to slices.
                           3. headings and percents next to legend.

              ov(E)rlap    Pressing the E key causes the bars (within a
                           group) to overlap. This option is not
                           available if the bar chart being displayed
                           is in the c(U)mulative mode.  See sample
                           chart I.

              (1-2) #pies  If there are multiple groups to be
                           processed, pressing 2 will display two pie
                           charts side-by-side. Pressing 1 will display
                           only one.



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              (N)ext group If there are multiple groups to be
                           processed, there will be more pies to view
                           than are visible on one screen. Pressing N
                           will cycle through the additional pies,
                           either one, or two at a time depending on
                           the selection made for (1-2).


              20.5  IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS


              If you have trouble getting a graph on your screen,
              investigate the following:

                    The program PCG2.EXE must be somewhere on the DOS
                     path. Refer to your DOS manual for more
                     information on the PATH command.

                    You must have a monitor and video adapter card
                     that is capable of producing graphics. The IBM
                     monochrome monitor without a Hercules graphics
                     card is not capable of producing graphs.

                    If you have a Hercules graphics card and
                     monochrome monitor, you must run the program
                     MSHERC before starting PC-File.

              Here are some other possible problems you may encounter:

                    Some EGA cards are not compatible enough to run
                     PCG2 in color mode. You can force PCG2 to display
                     in high-resolution black-and-white by running PCG2
                     in standalone mode. At a DOS prompt, enter the
                     command:

                     PCG2  /F

                     To run PCG2 in standalone mode, the GRAPH.ME file
                     containing the data to graph must be on the
                     current drive and directory. GRAPH.ME is created
                     each time you use the Graphs command in PC-
                     File:dB.

                    The maximum number of points PCG2 accepts on one
                     graph is 100 points per group. Up to 100 groups
                     are allowed. If you have more than 100 points per



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                     group to graph, you will need to produce multiple
                     graphs, graphing selected records.

                    PCG2 displays the first 20 to 25 items on the
                     legend, depending on which type of graph is
                     displayed and whether or not the menu is
                     displayed. It is not possible to display more
                     items on the legend, nor is it possible to control
                     which items are displayed on the legend.

                    You can change the scale of a graph. To change the
                     scale of a graph, you must edit the GRAPH.ME file
                     using a text editor or word processing program
                     that saves standard ASCII files (non-formatted
                     files). Insert a one line BOUND command before the
                     first TITLE line of the GRAPH.ME file. The format
                     of the BOUND command:

                          BOUND:Xh,Xl,Yh,Yl,0,ch

                     where Xh is the maximum X axis value
                           Xl is the minumum X axis value
                           Xh is the maximum Y axis value
                           Yl is the minimum Y axis value
                           0 (zero) is required
                           Ch is the maximum Cumulative value

                     For example, to set the scale of the Y axis so
                     that the maximum value is 500 and the minimum
                     value is 1 and the maximum cumulative value is
                     5000, use the command:

                          BOUND:0,0,500,1,0,5000

                     After saving the GRAPH.ME file, you must run PCG2
                     in stand-alone mode, from the DOS prompt. Be sure
                     that you are logged on to the drive and directory
                     containing the correct GRAPH.ME file. Then at the
                     DOS prompt, type:

                     PCG2

                     and press (Enter). When the graph is displayed,
                     the old scale will be in effect. Press M to
                     display the menu, then select the (B)ound option




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                     by pressing B. Your graph is displayed with the
                     new scale.

              If you have trouble printing your graphs, check these
              items:

                    If you are using an Okidata printer, try printing
                     using M, I, and O.

                    Before running PC-File or PCG2, run the DOS
                     GRAPHICS command. To do this, place your DOS
                     diskette in drive A. Type:

                     A:GRAPHICS

                    and press (Enter).

                     If you use a hard disk, GRAPHICS can be run
                     directly from the hard disk. To do this, type:

                     C:\DOS\GRAPHICS

                     and press (Enter). This example assumes that the
                     GRAPHICS program is on the C drive in the DOS
                     subdirectory. For more information on the GRAPHICS
                     command, please refer to your DOS manual.

                     Press (Shift) (PrtSc) (Shift Print Screen) when
                     the graph is displayed on the screen. Note: You
                     can blank the menu before printing by pressing
                     (F1) and M.

                     Some versions of DOS other than IBM or PC-DOS
                     include GRAPHICS programs for non-Epson printers.
                     Theses GRAPHICS programs would allow you to print
                     graphs on any printer which your DOS supports.
                     Please refer to your DOS manual for more
                     information.











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                                 ADDITIONAL FEATURES










































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                                     Chapter 21

                           USING THE CALCULATION FEATURES


              This information is provided to help you get more out of
              PC-File's ability to calculate.

              Calculations are available at six different places in
              PC-File:

                    In a complex search, when selecting a record for
                     viewing or to be operated on.

                    In a field in the database, to be performed when
                     adding or modifying a record.

                    When using the report writer feature.

                    When using the letter writing feature.

                    When you press the Calculator hot-key, (Alt)C.

                    When sorting the database.


              21.1  GENERAL FORMAT FOR CALCULATIONS


              Calculations always start with a left parenthesis and end
              with a right parenthesis, like this:

                   (gross - costs)

              Within a calculation, spaces may be freely used or
              omitted to make the formula more readable. For example,
              each of the following will produce the same result:






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                   (gross-costs)
                   (gross - costs)
                   ( gross - costs )

              Field names used in calculations only have to contain
              enough of the name to uniquely identify the field. Each
              of these calculations is functionally the same:

                   (gross - costs)
                   (gro - cos)

              Parentheses may be freely used to force the calculations
              to be done in a specific sequence. In the next example,
              the inner set of parentheses is required to force the
              addition to occur first:

                   ((Washington + Oregon) * 128.25)

              There is no limit to the number of parentheses (the level
              of nesting) that can be used. Parentheses should always
              be matched. This means the number of left parentheses
              should equal the number of right parentheses. However, if
              they are not matched, PC-File will still perform the
              calculation and the results will usually be correct.

              Within a pair of parentheses, there is a definite order
              of calculation:

                 1.  First, exponentiation (the ^ operation) is done.

                 2.  Then multiplication, division, and modulo (*, /,
                     and %) are done. These three have equal priority.
                     Modulo determines the remainder of a division
                     operation. The following calculations show how
                     modulo works:

                          0%3 = 0
                          1%3 = 1
                          2%3 = 2
                          3%3 = 0
                          4%3 = 1
                          5%3 = 2

                 3.  Then, addition and subtraction (+ and -) are done.
                     These two have equal priority.




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              You can test your understanding on these examples:

                   (1 + 2 * 3 ^ 2 + 1)

              The answer is 20.

                   (13 % 5)

              The answer is 3.


              21.2  DATE ARITHMETIC


              The following date arithmetic operations are provided
              (examples of their use will follow):

              (@TODAY#)    Creates today's "day number" relative to
                           1/1/1901. The reason for creating a day
                           number is to be able to compare it or do
                           arithmetic on it.

              (@DAY#,mask) Converts a date to a day number. The mask
                           indicates the format of the date. Valid
                           masks are:

                                ymd ydm mdy myd dmy dym yymmdd yyyymmdd

                           The y(year), m(month), and d(day) in the
                           mask tell what sequence the date numbers are
                           in. For example, if the day comes first,
                           then the month, then the year, use  dmy.

                           The 3-character masks above assume that your
                           dates have at least one separator character
                           between month, day, and year. The date
                           conversion capabilities are very flexible.
                           Here are some examples of dates that will be
                           handled correctly by 3-character masks:

                                10/20/88
                                10.10.88
                                10-20-1988
                                Oct. 20, '88
                                October 20, 1988
                                20 Oct 1988



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                           The 6-character mask yymmdd is used for
                           Character type fields where the date has no
                           separator characters. These fields are
                           assumed to contain 6 adjacent digits with
                           year, month, and day; 2 digits each. For
                           example:

                                881020

                           The 8-character mask yyyymmdd is used for
                           Date type fields where the date can be
                           entered without separator characters in the
                           yyyymmdd format.  For example:

                                19881020

              (@DATE,mask) Converts a day number to a printable date.
                           The mask tells the date format for output.
                           Examples are mdy/ and dmy-. The m(month),
                           d(day), and y(year) in the mask tell what
                           sequence the date numbers are to be placed
                           in for output. The character following at
                           the end of the mask tells what separator
                           character to use between the date numbers.
                           For example, mdy/ would produce a date like
                           10/20/88. An additional mask is available
                           with the @DATE function. The mdyX option
                           formats the date with the three letter
                           abbreviation of the month. October 20, 1988
                           would be 20 OCT 88 with the mdyX mask. The X
                           mask option applies to all three letter
                           masks. dmyX produces 20 OCT 88, mdyX
                           produces OCT 20, 1988. All forms other than
                           mdyX produce two characters for year and day
                           and three for month, separated by spaces.

              Each date arithmetic operation should be surrounded by
              parentheses, as shown above. TODAY, DATE and DAY must be
              uppercase and the mask must be lowercase.

              Here are some sample calculations using date arithmetic,
              to help you understand how these operations tie together:







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              21.2.0.1  Convert (@TODAY#) to date format



              Put today's date (from the computer) into printable form.
              The output should be in month, day, year format with
              dashes separating, like this: 10-20-88

                   ( (@TODAY#) (@DATE,mdy-) )

              The (@TODAY#) gets today's day number. Then, the
              (@DATE,mdy-) takes the result (today's day number) and
              converts it to a printable form.

              21.2.0.2  Elapsed time

               elapsed time

              Find out how many days have elapsed since BUY_DATE.
              Assume that BUY_DATE is in european format (day, month,
              year).

                   ( (@TODAY#) - (BUY_DATE (@DAY#,dmy)) )

              First, (@TODAY#) causes today's day number to be
              calculated. It is held for use in the rest of the
              calculation. Then, the data from the BUY_DATE field in
              the database is retrieved. Then the (@DAY#,mdy) operation
              causes the BUY_DATE data to be converted to a day number.
              Finally, this day number is subtracted from the original
              (today's) day number. The answer is the number of days
              elapsed.

              Find out how many days it took a customer to pay his
              bill. (Find the answer to PAY_DATE minus BUY_DATE).
              Assume that both dates are in month/day/year format.

                   ( (PAY_DATE (@DAY#,mdy)) - (BUY_DATE (@DAY#,mdy)))

              First, PAY_DATE is retrieved. Then, it is converted to a
              day number and saved for use later in the calculation.
              Then, BUY_DATE is retrieved. It is converted to a day
              number. Finally, the BUY_DATE day number is subtracted
              from the PAY_DATE day number to produce the difference in
              days between the two dates.




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              21.2.0.3  Compare dates



              Here is how to compare dates to another date. The
              following two examples show how to use date calculations
              to compare dates to other dates. These examples can be
              used for searching and selecting records. The first
              example selects records where DUE_DATE is greater than
              today's date. The second example selects records where
              DUE_DATE is less than the constant of 01/02/90.

                   ((DUE_DATE(@DAY#,mdy)) > (@TODAY#))

                   ((DUE_DATE(@DAY#,mdy)) < ("01/02/90"(@DAY#,mdy)))

              (((PDATE(@DAY#,mdy))>("06/30/89"(@DAY#,mdy)))&((PDATE(@DAY#,mdy))<("07/01/90"(@DAY#,mdy))))

              Note: Date calculations in reports and letters must use
              an output mask. Refer to the chapter "Printing Reports"
              for more information.

              21.2.0.4  Calculate a future date



              The following example calculates a new date 60 days after
              the CONTACT date.

                   (((CONTACT(@DAY#,mdy))+60) (@DATE,mdy/))

              First, the date in the CONTACT field is converted to a
              day number. Then 60 is added to the day number. The day
              number is then converted back to a date in month/day/year
              format.


              21.3  OTHER CALCULATION FUNCTIONS


              The following calculation functions are also provided.
              Notice that each function must be enclosed in
              parentheses.

              (@RANDOM#)   Creates a random number between 0 and 1.
                           This number is available for further



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                           arithmetic or to be printed. Here's an
                           example to create a random number between 0
                           and 1000:

                                ((@RANDOM#) * 1000)

              (@KEY1,DBASE2,KEY2,ANSWER2)
                           Performs a relational lookup into another
                           database. The answer to the lookup is
                           available for further arithmetic, or to be
                           printed. In this example, data from the
                           field KEY1 in the current database is
                           retrieved. Then, DBASE2 is opened. A search
                           is done on field KEY2 from DBASE2 to find a
                           match to the data from KEY1. When a match is
                           found, the data in field ANSWER2 from DBASE2
                           is retrieved.

              (@*,ANSWER)  Retrieves a field from the relational lookup
                           record that was retrieved most recently.
                           When two or more fields are to be retrieved
                           from the same database, the first field
                           should be retrieved using the
                           (@KEY1,DBASE2,KEY2,ANSWER2) command format.
                           The subsequent fields should be retrieved
                           using the (@*,ANSWER) command format. This
                           format allows PC-File to retrieve the
                           subsequent fields without having to look up
                           the record a second time - a very fast
                           approach.  "ANSWER" is the name of the field
                           to be retrieved.


















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                                     Chapter 22

                              AUTODIALING PHONE NUMBERS


              22.1  GENERAL INFORMATION


              PC-File has the wonderful ability to place phone calls
              for you.  After all, you've taken the time to look up the
              person that you want to call in your database. You can
              see the name and phone number on your screen.  Why should
              you have to read the telephone number off the screen and
              manually dial the number?

              PC-File does the dialing for you. Just activate the
              automatic phone dialing feature, sit back and watch it
              happen.

              As an added bonus, PC-File will keep track of the phone
              call. After it's ended, an entry is made in a telephone
              log file, which you can later use to verify the charges
              on your phone bill!


              22.2  REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTODIALING


              To make use of the Autodialing feature, you need the
              following equipment:

              Communications port
                           You must have a serial communications port
                           on your computer. This can be COM1, COM2,
                           COM3, or COM4.

              Modem        You must have a "Hayes compatible" modem
                           connected to your communications port.  It
                           doesn't have to actually be a Hayes modem.
                           It just has to be able to recognize a few of



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                           the Hayes modem commands. Most modems can do
                           this.

                           The modem is important because PC-File uses
                           it to actually place the phone call.  After
                           the phone number has been dialed, the modem
                           is no longer needed. PC-File then bypasses
                           the modem so that you can talk on your
                           handset.

              Handset      This is the actual telephone. You usually
                           plug the telephone in at the back end of the
                           modem. There's usually a connector there
                           that says "to phone" or "handset", or
                           something similar.

              Database     You must have some phone numbers that PC-
                           File can use to place the call.  The phone
                           numbers come from a field in a database. The
                           database might be a "customer" database, or
                           a "sales leads" database, or any type of
                           database that contains phone numbers.


              22.3  PLACING THE CALL


              Here are the steps you follow to place a phone call with
              the Autodialer:

                    Configure for your setup. Set up the phone dialer
                     from the "Profile" option of the Utilities menu.

                    Find a record.  Find the person in your database
                     that you need to call.  Use PC-File's Find command
                     to bring up the record on your screen.

                    Activate the dialer. While you're looking at the
                     person's record, activate the Autodialer by
                     pressing (Alt)J, or (Ctrl)J.  (While holding down
                     the (Alt) or (Ctl) key, simultaneously press J.)
                     You can remember the J command because it stands
                     for "Jingle."

                    Select a number and place the call. If there is
                     more than one phone number in the record you're



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                     viewing, a menu box comes up on your screen asking
                     you which number to dial.  Move the menu selection
                     bar to the proper number and press (Enter).  If
                     there is only one phone number in the record, this
                     step is bypassed.

                    Wait while the call is dialed. There's nothing to
                     do here except wait. You'll hear the modem dialing
                     the phone number. After the dialing has been
                     completed (no more tones are coming out of the
                     modem speaker), you're ready for the next step.

                    Release the modem and start the timer. Now you
                     need to release the modem so that you'll be able
                     to talk on the handset. The message says to press
                     a key after dialing has been completed.

                         -  Lift up the handset and place it to your
                            ear.

                         -  Press a key on the keyboard to release the
                            modem from the phone line.

                    Stop the timer. Normally, you only do this after
                     your call has ended. Pressing a key stops the call
                     timer and places an entry in the telephone log.

                     If you need to use your computer while you're
                     talking on the phone, you can stop the timer
                     whenever you want. This removes the timing message
                     from the screen. You can continue with the phone
                     conversation. Of course, the entry in your phone
                     log will reflect a shorter call duration because
                     of the early stopping of the call timer.


              22.4  TECHNICAL INFORMATION


              You only need to be familiar with the following
              information if you are responsible for setting up a
              database that uses Autodialing.







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              22.4.1  How PC-File knows where the phone numbers are

              When the Autodialer is activated, it looks at each of the
              field names in your database. If any field name includes
              the characters "PHONE", that field is assumed to contain
              a phone number.

              22.4.2  The format of the phone number

              Here are the rules for the data inside of phone number
              fields (the phone numbers):

                    The phone numbers themselves must be numeric
                     digits. Translation of characters to digits is not
                     done. Thus, (800)J-BUTTON will not work. Instead,
                     the number must be recorded as (800)528-8866. You
                     can include spaces, parentheses and dashes for
                     clarity.

                    The phone number is sent to the modem exactly as
                     you have it recorded. This means that you can
                     embed some of the Hayes modem commands within the
                     phone number if you wish. See your modem manual
                     for details.

                    If you want to include a comment with the phone
                     number (information that will not be sent to the
                     modem), precede the comment with a semicolon.
                     Here's an example:

                     555-1212; ask for Joan.

                    For long distance calls outside of your area code,
                     do not include the "1" (long distance access code)
                     with the phone number.  PC-File looks at the
                     number you are dialing. If it is ten digits long
                     or longer, the "1" is automatically sent, unless
                     the number starts with a zero.

                    For long distance calls within your area code, you
                     must include the "1".

              Here are some valid phone numbers:

                   555-1212       ;a local call
                   1-555-1212     ;long distance within the area code



              200                                               PC-File

                                              AUTODIALING PHONE NUMBERS
              _________________________________________________________



                   1 555 1212     ;this will also work
                   (999)555-1212  ;long distance to a different area
              code
                   999-555-1212   ;this will also work
                   011-312-322-1  ;foreign call--doesn't send a 1


              22.4.3  The phone log

              A different phone log is kept for each database. The file
              name used is the database name and an extension of CDS.
              If you are calling from the PEOPLE database, for example,
              the phone log will be named PEOPLE.CDS.

              Each phone call made is added to the end of the phone
              log. This means that when you want to clean out the phone
              log and start a fresh one, you just delete the file using
              DOS.

              Within the phone log file, data are recorded using the
              "Call Data Standard." This is a new standard that has
              been created so that phone bill analyzer programs can be
              marketed which will report on phone logs from multiple
              sources. For more information on the "Call Data Standard"
              contact Rob Rosenberger, CDS Team Leader, Barn Owl
              Software, P.O. Box 74, O'Fallon, IL 62269; Phone
              (618)632-7345.

              All of the information in the phone log is in ASCII
              character format. This means that you can print out your
              phone log using any program that reads ASCII files. You
              can print the log directly from DOS on your printer by
              using the PRINT command, like this:

                   PRINT  myfile.CDS

              Just replace "myfile" above with the name of your
              database.

              22.4.4  How PC-File knows which fields to put in the log

              You'll see some standard information in the phone log:
              The phone number dialed, the starting time, the ending
              time, and the duration of the call. PC-File also adds
              some information to the log to help you further identify
              the call.



                                                                    201

              AUTODIALING PHONE NUMBERS
              _________________________________________________________



              To decide what else to include, it looks at the field
              names. If a field name includes the characters "name",
              "company", "city", "state", or "country" the data from
              that field will be included in the phone log information.

              22.4.5  Installation options

              You may need to set some installation options to match
              your particular operating environment. There are two
              options:

              The port     PC-File assumes that your modem is connected
                           to the COM1 port.  If your modem is
                           connected to COM2, COM3 or COM4 you need to
                           change your profile.

              The access codes
                           The access codes are characters you normally
                           dial to "get an outside line." Most home
                           users, for example, don't require an access
                           code.  Some business users must dial "9", or
                           "91", or some other numbers before they can
                           place a phone call.

                           PC-File assumes that you don't need an
                           access code. If you do, you must change your
                           profile.

              To change your installation profile, Select the Utilities
              item from the PC-File master menu screen. Then, select
              the "Profile Files" item from the utilities menu. After
              you get into the profile menu, select the items TELEPHONE
              PORT and PHONE ACCESS CMDS and store them in PCFILE.PRO.
















              202                                               PC-File

                                                    USING THE UTILITIES
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 23

                                 USING THE UTILITIES


              The Utilities section of PC-File includes convenient
              features which make it easier to maintain your database.

              To access the features provided in the Utilities section,
              press (F8) or type U while viewing the Master Menu. You
              are then presented with a Utilities menu screen and
              prompted for further action.

              The Utilities menu offers the following functions:




                          [graphic N:\manual\util1.eps goes

















                      here] 
                           Figure 23.1: The Utilities Menu





                                                                    203

              USING THE UTILITIES
              _________________________________________________________



              When you want to return to the PC-File Master Menu, type
              Q at the Utilities Menu.















































              204                                               PC-File

                                        ALTERING THE DATA ENTRY SCREENS
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                                     Chapter 24

                           ALTERING THE DATA ENTRY SCREENS


              PC-File lets you design your data entry screens. You can:

                    include text other than field names

                    include boxes or other graphics characters

                    display names other than the actual field names

                    omit field names

              PC-File saves a picture of the data entry screen(s) in
              the database.HDB file. PC-File uses this picture when
              displaying individual records. If a picture is not
              included in the database.HDB file, PC-File displays the
              names of each field next to the appropriate field.

              You can change the data entry screen(s) at any time. This
              is especially handy when you change the name of a field
              and want the data entry screen(s) to display the new
              field name. This is also useful when you want the field
              references on the data entry screens to be different than
              the actual field names in the database.

              To change the data entry screen text only, use the "Alter
              data entry screen text" option of the Utilities menu. To
              change the locations or lengths of fields, or add, delete
              or re-order fields, you must clone the database. For more
              information on cloning, refer to Chapter 25, "Changing
              Your Database Definition."

              To alter the data entry screen of an existing database,
              press A at the Utilities menu. PC-File displays the
              current data entry screen. PC-File also displays the
              location of each field and fills each field with
              asterisks. This is to let you know where the fields are



                                                                    205

              ALTERING THE DATA ENTRY SCREENS
              _________________________________________________________



              located on the screen. All data entry screen text changes
              must be made without changing the field markers and their
              locations.

              After you have made all text modifications, press (F10).
              PC-File uses your data entry screen text changes the next
              time a record is displayed.

              Refer to Chapter "Using the Built-in Editor" for more
              information on adding boxes to your data entry screens.







































              206                                               PC-File

                                      CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION
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                                     Chapter 25

                          CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION


              You can create an entirely new database from an existing
              database.  This allows you to create a subset of the
              original database with fewer records, or to change your
              database definition.

              The cloning operation allows you to define a new database
              that is similar to the current database, and copies the
              data from the existing database into the new one. The new
              database can differ from the original in the following
              ways:

                    You can modify your data entry screen.
                    Fields can be lengthened.
                    Fields can be shortened.
                    New fields can be added.
                    Fields can be deleted.
                    Field sequence can be rearranged.
                    Field type can be changed.
                    The new database can contain selected records from
                     the original.

              To clone your database, press (F8) or U while viewing the
              Master Menu. From the Utilities menu, choose selection C,
              "Clone (change the database definition)."

              There are two methods for cloning - Fast and Paint. The
              Fast method is used only if you need to make a few
              changes to the database. The Paint method is used if you
              need to change the location of fields (move fields) on
              the data entry screen(s), if you have a lot of changes to
              make, or if you need more flexibility than is offered by
              the Fast method.






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              25.1  FAST METHOD


              After selecting the Fast method, PC-File displays a list
              of options.

                  -  Delete fields
                  -  Add new fields
                  -  Change field lengths
                  -  Change field types
                  -  Re-order fields
                  -  Rearrange the screen

              Place a Y next to each type of change you want to make.

              Delete Fields
                           Deleting a field using the Fast method is
                           easy. PC-File displays the current field
                           names. Place a Y next to each field you want
                           to delete. Press (F10) when complete.remove
                           fields

              Add New Fields
                           If you select the option to add new fields,
                           PC-File asks you to enter the field name,
                           field type and display length for the new
                           field. You then have the option to add
                           another field. The new field is added below
                           the last field on the screen.

              Change Field Lengths
                           If you select the option to change field
                           lengths, PC-File displays each field name
                           and the current display length. Type the new
                           display length for each field to change,
                           then press (F10).

                           PC-File asks if any of the fields are window
                           fields.  Remember, a window field is longer
                           than the actual number of characters
                           displayed at one time on the screen. If any
                           of the fields are window fields, answer Y.
                           You will be asked to select the window field
                           and enter the actual field length. Continue
                           until you have selected all of the window
                           fields.



              208                                               PC-File

                                      CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION
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              Change Field Types
                           If you select the option to change field
                           types, PC-File displays each field name and
                           the current field type. To change a field's
                           type, enter C for Character field, N for
                           Numeric field, D
                           for Date field, L for Logical field or M for
                           Memo field. When you have made all of your
                           changes, press (F10).

              Re-order Fields
                           When you clone the database using the Fast
                           method, PC-File keeps the current field
                           order.  If you want to change the order of
                           access for the new database, select the
                           "Re-order fields" option. PC-File will
                           display each field name.  Numbers are
                           displayed next to each field indicating the
                           order the cursor will move when adding or
                           modifying records.  To change the order,
                           change the numbers next to each field to
                           indicate the new order.  This doesn't move
                           any fields on the screen. It only changes
                           the sequence that the cursor moves through
                           the fields. When you have made all of your
                           changes, press (F10).

              Rearrange the Screen
                           The option to rearrange the data entry
                           screen is just like the "Alter data entry
                           screen text" option of the Utilities menu.
                           You can change data entry screen text, but
                           you cannot make any other changes.  To
                           rearrange the field locations, you must
                           clone the database using the Paint method.

              After making text changes to the data entry screen, press
              (F10).











                                                                    209

              CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION
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              25.2  PAINT METHOD


              ENTRY SCREEN CHANGES

              After selecting the Paint method, PC-File displays the
              current entry screen. You can make any changes to the
              data entry screen. See chapter 8, "Using the Built-in
              Editor" for information on using the editing features.

              Delete a field
                           To delete a field, place the cursor on the
                           first character of the field name and press
                           the space bar to delete the field name and
                           field markers (the left and right square
                           brackets). If the field is on a line by
                           itself, you can press (F5) or (F6). If the
                           field is the last field on a line (to the
                           right of all the other fields), press (F6)
                           with the cursor on the first character of
                           the field name or the left square bracket
                           marking the beginning of the field.

              Add a field  To add a field to your database, type the
                           new name where you want the new field. Then
                           use the left and right brackets to define
                           the field length. The display length will
                           equal the number of spaces between the left
                           and right brackets.

              Change a field's display length
                           To lengthen a field, insert spaces between
                           the left and right field markers.

                           To shorten a field, delete spaces between
                           the left and right field markers. If you
                           shorten a field, the existing data is
                           truncated to the new length.

              Modify the data entry screen
                           You may add text to the data entry screen.
                           This can include comments, lines and other
                           graphics characters.

                           After making the changes to your data entry
                           screen, press (F10) to continue.



              210                                               PC-File

                                      CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION
              _________________________________________________________



              WHERE DOES THE DATA COME FROM?

              PC-File needs to know which field currently contains the
              information so that the data can be transferred to the
              new database.

              PC-File displays the field names as they were before the
              cloning process. You are prompted to enter the name of
              the field the data comes from for each field in the new
              database. The name of the field PC-File is asking about
              is displayed to the right of the entry field on the top
              line. PC-File tries to guess which field currently
              contains the data. If PC-File thinks it knows which field
              contains the data, the field name is displayed in the
              entry field. If PC-File can't figure out which field
              contains the data, the entry field will be blank.

              If PC-File is correct, press (F10). If PC-File is not
              correct, enter the correct name. If the field is a new
              field, just press (F10) when the cursor is in the blank
              field.

              If you answer with the # sign, the field is numbered from
              1 and incremented by one. This is useful when renumbering
              a unique field. Sort the database in the order you want
              it numbered and clone using the Paint method. Use the #
              sign in the field you want renumbered.

              You can also indicate a portion of a field. To do this,
              enter the field name followed by a comma, followed by the
              starting position, followed by a comma, followed by the
              number of characters to clone. The number of characters
              to clone should equal the field length.


              FIELD TYPE

              Next, you'll enter the field type for each field in the
              new database.  Type C for Character field, N for Numeric
              field, D for Date field, L for Logical field or M for
              Memo field.  When you have entered the field type for all
              fields, press (F10).







                                                                    211

              CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION
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              DECIMAL PLACES

              If you have numeric fields, PC-File asks for the number
              of decimal places to display.

              WINDOW FIELDS

              PC-File asks if any of the fields are window fields.
              Remember, a window field is longer than the actual number
              of characters displayed at one time on the screen. If any
              of the fields are window fields, answer Y. You will be
              asked to select the window field and enter the actual
              field length. Continue until you have selected all of the
              window fields.


              SEQUENCING FIELDS

              Next, you are shown the order the fields will be
              accessed, and asked if you want to change the sequence.
              To change the order, press Y, then enter a number next to
              each field. The number corresponds to the order the field
              will be accessed.


              25.3  REMAINING QUESTIONS


              The remaining questions are always asked, regardless of
              which cloning method you chose.


              INDEX FIELDS

              PC-File asks you to mark the fields to be indexed.  Place
              an X next to each field you want to be indexed.  You must
              mark at least one field. PC-File will create index files
              for each field you mark after cloning the database.


              NEW DATABASE NAME

              PC-File asks you to enter the file specification for the
              new database. First, PC-File asks "Which drive for
              output?" Enter the drive where you want the new database
              to be stored. Be sure there is enough room on the disk



              212                                               PC-File

                                      CHANGING YOUR DATABASE DEFINITION
              _________________________________________________________



              you select to contain the new database. Next, PC-File
              asks you to enter the name of the path or subdirectory to
              clone to.

              After you have entered a valid drive and path, PC-File
              asks you to enter the name for the new database.  If you
              are cloning to the same drive and path as the current
              database, you must give the database a unique name.

              If you have defined smart keys or a profile for the
              current database, you can copy the smart key file and/or
              profile to the new database.


              CLONE ALL OR SELECTED RECORDS

              PC-File asks you whether you want to clone all of the
              records in the current database or only selected records.
              Answer accordingly. If you answer S for selected records,
              you will be asked to enter the selection criteria. Please
              refer to Chapter 14, "Finding A Record" for more
              information.


              BUILDING INDEX FILES

              After PC-File copies the data to the new database, it
              creates index files for each of the fields you marked to
              be indexed.

              Note: If you clone to the same drive and subdirectory,
              you must use unique file names for the indexes.

              When PC-File has completed the cloning process, you have
              the option to load the new database, or continue with the
              current database.













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              214                                               PC-File

                                         CHECKING FOR DUPLICATE RECORDS
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 26

                           CHECKING FOR DUPLICATE RECORDS


              PC-File can help you locate duplicate records, list them
              to a report, and even delete them on the screen.

              There are two ways to process duplicate records:

                    You can view the duplicate records side by side.
                     While viewing, you can delete the record on the
                     left, the record on the right, both or neither.

                    You can prepare a report of the duplicate records.
                     You can print the report to the printer, screen or
                     disk. Once you have printed the report, you can go
                     back to the duplicates found and consolidate data
                     and delete duplicate records, if necessary. If you
                     print a report of the duplicates to disk, PC-File
                     creates a file, databasename.DUP on the same drive
                     and path as the database.

              To check for duplicate records, select option D,
              "Duplicate records (list or delete)" from the Utilities
              menu.

              You are shown a list of fields in the current database.
              You can select up to ten different fields or portions of
              fields to compare. (Your database must first be sorted or
              indexed in the order you will compare fields.)

              To locate duplicate records, PC-File compares the data
              from each record to the data from the previous record.
              The data must match exactly in all compare fields for
              PC-File to consider the two records to be duplicates.

              PC-File can only compare adjacent records. For example,
              the data in record 2 can be compared to the data in




                                                                    215

              CHECKING FOR DUPLICATE RECORDS
              _________________________________________________________



              records 1 and 3, but not to the data in records 4, 5,
              etc.

              Let's say you want to find all records with duplicate
              data in the fields LASTNAME and FIRSTNAME. First, sort or
              index the database with LASTNAME as the primary sort
              field and FIRSTNAME as the secondary sort field. Next, go
              to the Utilities menu, and select option D to check for
              duplicate records. Select LASTNAME as the first field to
              compare, and FIRSTNAME as the second field to compare.

              Here is an example of what duplicate records look like on
              your screen when compared side by side.


                          [graphic N:\manual\dupe1.eps goes

















                      here] 

              Here is an example of a report, selecting on LASTNAME as
              compare field #1, and the first five characters of
              FIRSTNAME (FIRSTNAME,1,5) as compare field #2.

                   RECNO LASTNAME      FIRSTNAME       STREET
                   ----- ------------- --------------- ------------------
                      10 Brown         Robert          P.O. Box 111
                      11 Brown         Roberta         55 Main Street

                      29 Davis         Donald          123 First Street
                      30 Davis         Donald          123 1st St.



              216                                               PC-File

                                         CHECKING FOR DUPLICATE RECORDS
              _________________________________________________________



                     100 Smith         John            9898 Hill Road
                     101 Smith         John            P.O. Box 123
                     102 Smith         John            9898 Hill Rd.

              Notice that PC-File considers records 10 and 11 to be
              duplicates. That's because, in this example, PC-File was
              told to compare only the first five characters of
              FIRSTNAME. The first five characters of "Robert" and
              "Roberta" are the same, and thus considered duplicates.

              If you have a large database with a lot of duplicate
              records you want to delete, you can use a "recursive"
              smart key to automatically delete the duplicate record
              shown on the right.

              To do this you would call up the D option of the
              Utilities menu, and define the fields you want to
              compare. At the first set of duplicate records displayed
              on the screen, press (Alt)Y to start recording a smart
              key and press (Enter) at the pop-up information screen.
              Press R to delete the record displayed on the right.
              Then press (Shift) 6, then one of the numbers at the top
              of the keyboard (0-9). Press (Alt)Y to stop recording the
              smart key and save it under (Alt) and the same number you
              selected above after (Shift) 6. If you invoke the smart
              key at this point, it will continue to delete the
              duplicate records displayed on the right, until no more
              duplicate records are found.

              This smart key only presses R repetitively.  If you wish
              to use the smart key in the future you need to get to the
              screen showing the first set of duplicate records before
              invoking the smart key.

              Note: We recommend you make a backup of your database
              before you use a recursive smart key to delete duplicate
              records. Also, be sure that the fields you are comparing
              on will bring up the appropriate records before using
              this method. See the chapter "Smart Keys" for more
              information on recursive smart keys.









                                                                    217

              CHECKING FOR DUPLICATE RECORDS
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              218                                               PC-File

                                               PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 27

                              PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS


              A very powerful feature of PC-File is its ability to
              exchange data with many programs such as dBASE,
              WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Lotus
              1-2-3, PC-Calc+, and others. The following formats can be
              imported into PC-File databases and exported from PC-File
              databases.

              dBASE        This is the format used by dBASE III and
                           dBASE III PLUS data files, and other .DBF
                           files. You do not need to export to this
                           format, because PC-File always stores data
                           in a .DBF file. Therefore, the dBASE format
                           is supported on import only.

              PC-Calc+     This format is used by ButtonWare's PC-Calc+
                           spreadsheet. PC-File can import a PC-Calc+
                           spreadsheet. To use PC-File data in PC-
                           Calc+, use the /Import command in PC-Calc+.

              DIF          This format is produced as an import/export
                           option by many spreadsheet programs, and by
                           some database programs. This format should
                           be used to transfer data to Lotus 1-2-3,
                           Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet
                           programs.

              Fixed Length Fixed length format is used by many programs
                           which create "random" files. Every record is
                           exactly the same length, and there are no
                           delimiters or record separators. The only
                           way to tell where one record stops and the
                           next one starts is by knowing the exact
                           length of the records. This format is just
                           like the Text Editor format described below,




                                                                    219

              PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS
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                           except that the end of each record is not
                           marked by a carriage return.

              Lotus PRN    This is essentially the same format as
                           MailMerge described below, with one
                           exception. In the MailMerge format, if a
                           field is blank or empty, nothing is written
                           out except the comma. In PRN files, if a
                           character field is blank, a pair of quote
                           marks is written out, then the comma at the
                           end of the field. If a numeric field is
                           blank, 0 is written out. PRN files can be
                           imported into 1-2-3 by using the File Import
                           Numbers command sequence in Lotus 1-2-3. To
                           import a PRN file created by 1-2-3 into PC-
                           File, you would use the Text Editor format.
                           The Lotus PRN format is supported on export,
                           but not import.

              MailMerge    This format consists of data fields
                           separated by commas, with quote masks
                           surrounding fields which contain a comma.
                           The end of each record has a carriage-return
                           and optionally a line-feed.  This format is
                           used by many word processing programs,
                           including the WordStar MailMerge program and
                           Microsoft Word, and is produced by many
                           BASIC programs.  It is also an export option
                           in many database programs.

              PeachText    This format consists of each field on a
                           separate line.  It's sometimes called "field
                           delimited" or "field per line" format.  The
                           only way to know where one record stops and
                           another starts is to know exactly how many
                           fields exist in each record.

              SYLK         This format is used by Microsoft Multiplan.
                           PC-File can export to the SYLK format, but
                           it cannot import from SYLK files.

              Text editor or SDF format
                           This format consists of fixed length fields
                           with no separators between fields.  The end
                           of each record has a carriage return and
                           sometimes a line-feed.  This format is



              220                                               PC-File

                                               PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS
              _________________________________________________________



                           produced by many text editor and word
                           processing programs, and is an export/import
                           option in many database programs.

              User-defined delimiter
                           This format is supplied so you can exchange
                           data with programs that don't use one of the
                           standard formats. This format allows you to
                           specify the field delimiter on import, and
                           the field and record delimiter on export.
                           When importing using this format, PC-File
                           assumes the record delimiter is either a
                           line-feed or carriage-return/line-feed.

              WordPerfect  This format is used for WordPerfect merge
                           files. PC-File can only import a WordPerfect
                           secondary merge file, not a document file.

              ASCII files  PC-File can import and export ASCII files.
                           The ASCII formats supported by PC-File are
                           Fixed Length, MailMerge, PeachText and Text
                           Editor (SDF).


              27.1  EXPORTING YOUR DATABASE


              You can export the data in PC-File databases for use with
              many other programs.

              PC-File exports the database you are currently using. The
              data are exported in sequence according to the current
              index.

              To export your database, press (F8) or U from the Master
              Menu. You are shown the Utilities menu. Select option E,
              "Export the current database."

              PC-File prompts you to enter the drive and path to
              contain the exported file. Next, PC-File asks you to
              enter the name for the exported file. You do not need to
              supply a file extension; PC-File automatically does that
              for you.

              Note: You must export to a drive with enough available
              space to contain the exported file.



                                                                    221

              PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS
              _________________________________________________________



              Next, you are shown the possible formats to export to.
              Select the appropriate format. Refer to the section
              above.



                         [graphic N:\manual\import1.eps goes

















                      here] 



                          Figure 27.1: Export Formats Menu



              Note: If you need to export to a format not supported by
              the export function, you can define a report format and
              print the data to a disk file.

              Depending on which format you select, you will be asked
              different questions.

              If you select the Mail-Merge option:

              You are asked if the first record of the exported file
              should contain the field names. Some programs, such as
              Microsoft Word, require the first record to contain the
              field names. If you will be using such a program, answer
              Y, otherwise answer N.



              222                                               PC-File

                                               PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS
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              You are also asked if you want quotes around every field.
              Normally, you should answer N. However, some programs
              require quotes around every field, even if the field
              doesn't contain a comma.

              If you select the User-defined delimiter option:

              You are asked to enter the field delimiter and the record
              delimiter.  The field delimiter separates each field.
              The record delimiter separates each record.  The field
              and record delimiters may be the same, and vary depending
              on which program you will be using. There are four
              options for entering the field and record delimiters.
              You can:

                    Enter the ASCII decimal value of the delimiter.
                     This is handy for those keys which aren't
                     represented by a character, such as (Tab).

                    Select carriage return/line-feed combination as
                     the delimiter.

                    Enter the required delimiter via the keyboard.
                     You will be asked to enter the delimiter by
                     pressing the appropriate key.

                    Select no delimiter.

              Next, you will be asked the following questions:

              "Do you want to flip the data?" If the data contains the
              tilde character, ~ , you can flip the data on output. You
              will want to answer Y if you will be using your exported
              file with a word processing program to perform a mail
              merge.

              "Export all fields or selected fields". If your database
              contains fields which are not used by the program you are
              exporting to, you may want to export selected fields. You
              can export a portion of a field also.

              Finally, you are asked if you want to "Export all records
              or selected records". Please read Chapter 14, "Finding A
              Record" for more information on selecting records.





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              PC-File displays the first record to export and asks
              "Export? Y, N, X, Q". If you want to export this record,
              but still preview each record before exporting, press Y.
              If you do not want to export this record, press N. If you
              want to export this record, and all remaining records
              without PC-File stopping to ask you, press X. To quit the
              export process, press Q.

              The exported file will have one of the following names:

              filename.DIF if you chose "DIF" format
              filename.FXD if you chose "Fixed Length"
              filename.PRN if you chose "Lotus PRN"
              filename.WS  if you chose "Mail-Merge"
              filename.PCH if you chose "PeachText"
              filename.SYL if you chose "SYLK"
              filename.SDF if you chose "Text Editor"
              filename.USR if you chose "User-defined delimiter"
              filename.WP  if you chose "WordPerfect"


              27.2  IMPORTING DATA


              You can import files or databases created with other
              programs. You can also use the import feature to append
              records from another PC-File database to the current
              database. PC-File imports the data into the current
              database. If you're planning to import data, you have to
              first define a database.

              If you are importing using the Text Editor (SDF), Fixed
              Length or dBASE format, the database must match the
              import file exactly. The database must be defined with
              the fields in the same sequence as they exist in the
              import file, with the same number of fields, and matching
              field lengths.

              If you are importing using the Peachtext format, the
              database must have the same number of fields in the same
              sequence as the file you are importing. Field lengths
              should be at least as long as those in the import file to
              avoid truncation of data.

              If you are importing using any other format, PC-File does
              not require that the import file have the same number of



              224                                               PC-File

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              fields or matching field lengths, but does require the
              fields to be in the same order. If the import file
              contains more fields than the database, the extra fields
              are ignored. If the import file contains fewer fields
              than the database, the fields at the end of the record
              are filled with blanks. This is also true for field
              lengths. If the import file contains fields longer than
              those defined in the database, data in those fields are
              truncated to the database field length. If the import
              file contains fields which are shorter than the database,
              the extra spaces are filled with blanks.

              To import a file into the current database, press (F8) or
              U from the Master Menu. You are shown the Utilities menu.
              Select option I, "Import a PC-File database or other
              file."

              You are shown the import formats. Select the format of
              the file to import.

                  -  dBASE or PC-File
                  -  PC-Calc+
                  -  DIF
                  -  Fixed length
                  -  Mail-merge
                  -  Peachtext
                  -  Text editor (SDF)
                  -  User-defined field delimiter
                  -  Word Perfect


              If you select the User-defined delimiters option, you are
              asked to enter the field delimiter. The record delimiter
              is a carriage return/linefeed.

              PC-File asks you to enter the drive and path which
              contain the file to import. Next, you are asked to select
              the file to import. PC-File lists the first 83 files on
              the drive and path indicated. If you see the file you
              want to import on the screen, select the file. If there
              are more than 83 files and you do not see your file
              listed, type the name in the blank field provided.

              Next, you are asked if you want to append the new records
              to the database, or overwrite the existing data. Answer
              appropriately. If you select A (for append), the imported



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              records will appear in sequence according to the current
              index. If you answer O to overwrite, the existing records
              will be deleted, and the records imported will start at
              record 1.

              You are asked if you want to import all records or
              selected records. Answer accordingly. Please refer to
              Chapter 14, "Finding a Record" for more information.

              PC-File displays the first record to be imported. PC-File
              asks "Import? Y, N, X, Q". If you want to import this
              record, but still preview each record before importing,
              answer Y. If you do not want to import this record,
              answer N. If you want to import this record and all
              remaining records without PC-File stopping to ask you,
              answer X. If you want to quit the import process answer
              Q.

              We recommend you answer Y for the first few records to
              verify that the records are importing properly. If you
              notice that records are not being imported properly, you
              can stop the import process by typing Q. If the records
              aren't imported properly, either select a different
              import format, or clone the database to make sure it
              matches the import file.

              The indexes are built at the end of the import process.
              You must rebuild the indexes or PC-File won't let you
              access the imported records.




















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                                               GLOBAL MODIFY AND DELETE
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                                     Chapter 28

                              GLOBAL MODIFY AND DELETE


              If you need to modify a lot of records with the same
              values, or delete a lot of records at one time, then
              you'll find the global modify and delete capabilities of
              PC-File very useful. You can think of this as a bulk or
              batch modify and delete.

              To perform global modify or delete, press U or (F8) from
              the Master Menu to get to the Utilities menu. Then, press
              G for "Global operations."

              You'll be asked if you want to perform a global modify or
              delete. If you want to delete a series of records, press
              D. If you want to modify a series of records, press M.

              If you chose to modify records, you'll be asked if you
              want to modify or delete all or selected records. If you
              want to operate on all records in the database, press A.
              If you want to limit the operation to selected records,
              press S. If you press S for selected records, you'll see
              the search menu screen. Refer to Chapter 14, "Finding a
              Record" for more information.

              If you're doing a global modify, PC-File will ask you to
              enter the new values in the fields to modify. The screen
              looks like this (we'll use a fictitious database):


                         [graphic N:\manual\global1.eps goes






                              here] 



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              _________________________________________________________



              This screen lets you replace the current data with new
              information. If you don't enter anything into a field,
              the data in that field will not be changed during the
              modify. If you do enter something into a field, every
              record selected for updating will have that field
              replaced with the new value. You can blank a field by
              entering spaces.

              You can enter new data into one, several or all of the
              fields. Every field that has new data entered will be
              modified.

              The wildcard character can be very useful here. Remember
              the wildcard character is an underscore _ . If you use a
              wildcard character as part of the new data in a field, it
              means to not change the data at this spot during the
              modify.

              Note: All automatic field masks and constants are
              supplied, and all calculations are performed, except
              those that are defined as add-only or blank-only. This is
              true whether or not you supply any replacement data.
              Let's try an example. You have several hundred records
              with the zip code 96641. Suppose the post office changed
              the zip code from 96641 to 96642. With PC-File, you can
              globally modify all the records without having to
              manually change the 1 to a 2.

              Here's how to fill in the screen:




                         [graphic N:\manual\global2.eps goes






                              here] 



              PC-File locates a record which matches your search. If
              you're doing a global modify, you are asked "Modify? Y,N,



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              X(stop asking), Q(Quit)". If you're doing a global
              delete, you are asked "Delete? Y,N, X(stop asking),
              Q(Quit)".

              If you wish to perform the modify or delete, press Y.

              If you wish to leave the record unchanged and continue
              the search for the next record, press N.

              If you're absolutely sure of what you're doing and wish
              to have all future modifies or deletes done with no more
              questions asked, press X. CAUTION! Things happen fast in
              PC-File. If you press X, you'll modify or delete a lot of
              records quickly. Think hard before pressing X, and be
              certain that you have a fresh backup copy of your
              database just in case things don't go as you expected. We
              recommend pressing Y for the first several records so you
              can be sure the records being selected are the ones you
              want.

              To stop the global modify or delete process, press Q.




























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              230                                               PC-File

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                                     Chapter 29

                                MAINTENANCE OF FILES


              You can copy, delete or rename PC-File data files from
              within the program.  If you prefer, you can use DOS
              commands instead.

              To copy, delete or rename files, press U or (F8) from the
              Master Menu. From the Utilities menu, press M,
              "Maintenance: Copy, Delete or Rename files".

              The following types of PC-File files can be copied,
              deleted or renamed:

                  -  Database (.HDB, .DBF, .DBT, .NDX)
                  -  Profile file (.PRO)
                  -  Smart key file (.KEY)
                  -  Letter format (.LTR)
                  -  Report format (.REP, .ANS)
                  -  Graph format (.GR)


              29.1  COPY A FILE


              It is important to make frequent backup copies of your
              PC-File database and associated files. You never know
              when you might need to refer to a backup copy.

              After you select the type of file to copy, you are asked
              to enter the drive and path which contain the file. You
              are then shown a list of all files of the type selected.
              Select the file you want to copy.

              You are then asked to enter the drive, path and filename
              to copy to. If you are copying to a different drive or
              path, you can give the file the same name. If are copying




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              to the same drive and path, you must give the file a new
              name.

              If you enter a name of a file which already exists on the
              drive and path selected, you have the option to replace
              the existing file. If you replace an existing file, the
              existing data will be lost. Be sure you do not replace a
              file you need.

              The copy feature of the Utilities menu can only copy
              files if they fit on the designated drive.  If you are
              copying from a hard disk to a floppy disk and your
              database takes up more space than is available on the
              floppy disk, you can use the DOS BACKUP command to backup
              your files to a floppy. Refer to Chapter 38, "Backing Up
              Your Database" for more information.


              29.2  DELETE A FILE


              You can delete any PC-File data file from within the
              program.

              After selecting the type of file to delete, you are asked
              to enter the drive and path which contain the file. You
              are shown a list of all files of the type selected.
              Select the file you want to delete.

              PC-File will then display the file name, and ask you to
              verify that you want to delete the file. Just in case you
              selected the wrong file, you can prevent the file from
              being deleted by answering N. If you do want to delete
              the file, answer Y.


              29.3  RENAME A FILE


              You can also rename PC-File data files from within the
              program.

              After selecting the type of file to rename, you are asked
              to enter the drive and path which contain the file. You
              are then asked to select the file to rename from a list
              shown.



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              Next, you are asked to enter the new name. Make sure you
              enter a unique name. If you enter the name of a file
              which already exists, PC-File will not be able to rename
              the file(s).













































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              234                                               PC-File

                                    ALTER FIELD NAME, MASK, CONST, CALC
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                                     Chapter 30

                         ALTER FIELD NAME, MASK, CONST, CALC


              The "Name of Field, Mask, Constant or Calc (modify)"
              option is an area of PC-File where you can do several
              things.

                    You can change the name of a field.

                    You can provide an edit mask for a field to
                     carefully screen what's typed into the field by
                     the operator.

                    You can provide an automatic field. This is where
                     the date, time, or other information can be
                     automatically entered for the operator.

                    You can provide a constant for the field. This is
                     pre-entered data which can either be accepted as
                     input, or typed over by the operator.

                    You can provide a calculation for the field. This
                     can be an arithmetic calculation, date calculation
                     or relational lookup into another database.

              To perform any of these functions, you must first select
              the Utilities option by typing U or (F8) while viewing
              the Master Menu. Then, from the Utilities menu, press N
              to select "Name of Field, Mask, Constant or Calc
              (modify)".

              You are shown a list of all the field names and asked
              which field to change. After selecting the field, PC-File
              displays the current field name, mask, constant and
              calculation. You're asked if you want to change the field
              name, mask, constant or calculation. Answer accordingly.





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              30.1  FIELD NAMES


              You can change as many field names as you like and as
              often as you like. In choosing a new name for the field,
              keep these points in mind:

                    Use only alphabetic characters, numbers, and the
                     underscore character for field names.

                    Never start the field name with a number. It
                     should always start with an alphabetic character.

                    Changing a field name does not automatically alter
                     the data entry screen. Use the "Alter Data Entry
                     Screen" command to change the appearance of your
                     entry screen.

                    You must modify reports, letters, graphs and
                     calculations to reflect the new field names.


              30.2  EDIT MASKS


              There are two types of edit masks - input edit masks and
              automatic field edit masks.  Input edit masks let you
              define which characters are allowed in a field.
              Automatic field edit masks cause PC-File to automatically
              supply data in the field.

              30.2.1  Input Edit Masks

              You use an input edit mask to define which characters
              will be allowed when entering data into a field. If you
              don't provide an edit mask, all characters (with an ASCII
              value greater than 31) will be allowed in the field. If
              you have a numeric field, only the digits 0 through 9, as
              well as the decimal and minus sign will be allowed.

              A carefully thought out edit mask can prevent the
              operator from accidentally keying the wrong characters
              into your fields. This means you can restrict the kind of
              information that can be entered. For example, you can
              make sure that only numbers get entered in zip code
              fields, or only letters in a name field. Before we go



              236                                               PC-File

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              _________________________________________________________



              over some examples, you need to know a little bit more
              about how to enter information in the edit mask.

              To set up an edit mask, enter a colon, followed by pairs
              of characters, ending with a colon. Each pair of
              characters defines a valid range of characters which will
              be allowed as input. The first character of the pair is
              the starting character in the range and the second
              character is the ending character in the range. Spaces
              and punctuation are counted as characters here, so you
              must enter those in pairs also.

              For example, :AZ: allows uppercase characters from A
              through Z.

              Similarly, :YZ: allows only Y and Z, and :YY: allows only
              Y.  :YYyy: allows only uppercase and lowercase Y.

              The edit mask :AZaz: allows all uppercase and lowercase
              letters, but nothing else.

              The edit mask :AZaz09   : allows all uppercase and
              lowercase letters, all numbers 0 through 9, and the space
              character. (Note: There are two spaces after the 9 and
              before the ending colon.)

              The edit mask :BA: allows no characters and prevents you
              from typing anything in the field.

              30.2.2  Automatic Fields

              Certain field masks can be used to cause automatic data
              entry into a field. If you use one of the masks listed
              below, data will be supplied automatically for the field
              whenever records are being added or modified. These masks
              must be entered in uppercase. The masks and their
              automatic data are as follows:












                                                                    237

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                   Mask        Example of supplied data
                   :MO*:        10       (the month)
                   :DY*:        20       (the day)
                   :YR*:        88       (the year)
                   :YYMMDD*:    881020   (date yymmdd)
                   :YYYYMMDD*:  19881020 (date yyyymmdd)
                   :DATE*:      10-20-88 (date mm-dd-yy)
                   :MM/DD/YY*:  10/20/88 (date mm/dd/yy)
                   :DD/MM/YY*:  20/10/88 (date dd/mm/yy)
                   :TIME*:      14:37    (time hh:mm)
                   :UNIQUE*:*A  31415    (a unique record number)
                   :DUPE*:      Smith    (duplicates from previously viewed record)

              The UNIQUE* field shown above merits further explanation.
              The number automatically placed into this field is a
              number that will be unique for the particular record in
              the database. No other record will have that number. Even
              if you sort the database, the UNIQUE* number will not
              change. Within one database, unique numbers will never be
              reused, even after records are deleted.

              Note: The next available unique number is stored on the
              third line in the HDB file. If you need to change the
              next available unique number, you can edit the HDB file
              with any editor. You CANNOT make any other changes to the
              HDB file.

              Some masks, especially :UNIQUE*: should always be add-
              only, so a new unique number is not assigned when you
              modify the record. The add-only UNIQUE mask looks like
              :UNIQUE*:*A. Refer to the section "Add, Modify & Blank
              Only" later in this chapter for more information.

              30.2.3  Automatic Fields with Input Edit Masks

              Even though the data are supplied automatically for
              automatic fields, you can also supply an edit mask to
              limit what the operator can key into the field.

              To supply an additional edit mask for the automatic
              field, just add the edit mask data after the asterisk of
              the automatic field. Below are some examples:

              :YYYYMMDD*09:
                           (allow numbers only)
              :DUPE*AZaz:  (allow letters only)



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                                    ALTER FIELD NAME, MASK, CONST, CALC
              _________________________________________________________



              :DATE*09//:  (allow numbers and slashes)


              30.3  CONSTANTS


              Specifying a constant for a field is just like specifying
              automatic data for the field except that you get to
              provide an exact value for the field.

              For example, suppose that most of the addresses in your
              name and address database are from Poughkeepsie. You want
              to save the operator from having to type POUGHKEEPSIE
              every time a new record is added to the database. You can
              provide a constant for the field, which automatically
              enters the name of POUGHKEEPSIE. Then, the operator can
              just skip over the field and accept the value provided.
              If a different city is needed, the replacement value can
              be typed over the automatic data.

              When you provide a constant for a field, you must put
              quotation marks on both sides of the constant. Constants
              are almost always add-only. Refer to the section on "Add,
              Modify & Blank Only" later in this chapter for more
              information.

              Here are some examples:

                   "Poughkeepsie"*A
                   "Walla Walla"*A
                   "I.B.M. Personal Computer"*A


              30.4  CALCULATIONS


              You can also specify a calculated field. The data for the
              calculated field can be generated from an arithmetic
              calculation, a date calculation or a relational lookup.

              These type of calculations are also available with a
              complex search, in a report or letter, and when using
              (Alt)C, the calculator hot-key.






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              Note: Adding or modifying a calculation doesn't
              automatically cause PC-File to recalculate all records.
              You must do this with the global modify feature.

              30.4.1  Arithmetic Calculations

              An arithmetic calculation can include data from other
              fields and numeric constants. An arithmetic calculation
              looks like this:

                   (fieldname*fieldname)

              Replace "fieldname" with the name of a field, or a
              numeric constant. You can abbreviate field names, taking
              care to specify enough characters of the field name to
              make sure PC-File can recognize it. Each of these
              calculations is functionally the same:

                   (gross - costs)

                   (gro - cost)

              Replace "*" in the example above, with + for add, - for
              subtract, * for multiply, / for divide, ^ for exponent,
              or % for modulo.

              Calculations must start with a left parenthesis and end
              with a right parenthesis. The number of left parentheses
              must equal the number of right parentheses. Parentheses
              may be freely used to force the calculations to be done
              in a specific sequence. In the next example, the inner
              set of parentheses is required to force the addition to
              occur first:

                   ((Washington + Oregon) * 128.25)

              Within a pair of parentheses, there is a definite order
              of calculation. First, exponentiation (the ^ operation)
              is done. Then multiplication, division, and modulo (*, /
              and %) are done. These three have equal priority.
              Finally, addition and subtraction (+ and -) are done.
              These two have equal priority.

              You can test your understanding on the following example.
              The correct answer is 20.




              240                                               PC-File

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                   (1 + 2 * 3 ^ 2 + 1)

              Within a calculation, spaces may be freely used or
              omitted to make the formula more readable. For example,
              each of the following produces the same result:

                        (gross-costs)
                        (gross - costs)
                        ( gross - costs )

              When entering a calculation for a character field, you
              can add ".d" at the end of the calculation, where the "d"
              equals the decimal places. The following calculation
              specifies two decimal places when entered for a character
              field:

                   (SUBTOTAL + TAX + SHIPPING).2

              If the calculation is entered in a numeric field, you do
              not need to enter the ".d". The number of decimal places
              defined for the numeric field will automatically be used.
              Note: The ".d" is only required when entering a
              calculation for a field. It should not be used with
              calculations in searches, reports, letters and with
              (Alt)C.

              Here are some other examples of arithmetic calculations:

                        (CENTS/100)
                        ((RADIUS^2)*3.1415927)
                        ((QTR1+QTR2+QTR3+QTR4)/4)


              30.4.2  Date Calculations

              PC-File can perform calculations on dates. You can
              compute the number of days between two dates. You can
              also generate a new date by adding or subtracting a
              number of days from a given date. Date calculations can
              be performed on Date type fields as well as Character
              type fields.

              The following date operations are provided (examples of
              their use will follow):





                                                                    241

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              (@TODAY#)    Creates today's "day number" relative to
                           01/01/1901. The reason for creating a day
                           number is to be able to compare it or do
                           arithmetic on it.

              (@DAY#,mask) Gets a date from the "calculation stack" and
                           converts it to day number. The mask
                           indicates the format of the date. Valid
                           masks are ymd, ydm, mdy, myd, dmy, dym,
                           yymmdd and yyyymmdd.

                           The y(year), m(month), and d(day) in the
                           mask tell what sequence the date numbers are
                           in. For example, if the day comes first,
                           then the month, then the year, use dmy.

                           The 3-character masks assume that your dates
                           have at least one separator character
                           between month, day, and year. Here are some
                           examples of dates that will be handled
                           correctly by 3-character masks:

                                10/20/88
                                20.10.88
                                10-20-1988
                                Oct. 20, '88
                                October 20, 1988
                                20 Oct 1988

                           The 6-character mask, yymmdd, is used for
                           date fields that have no separator
                           characters. These fields are assumed to
                           contain 6 adjacent digits with year, month,
                           and day; 2 digits each. For example, 881020.

              (@DATE,mask) Gets a day number from the "calculation
                           stack" and converts it to a date format. The
                           mask indicates the date format for output.
                           Examples are mdy/, dmy and dmy-. The
                           m(month), d(day), and y(year) in the mask
                           tell what sequence the date numbers are to
                           be placed in. The character following at the
                           end of the mask tells what separator
                           character to use between the date numbers.
                           For example, mdy/ would produce a date like
                           10/20/88.



              242                                               PC-File

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              Each date arithmetic operation should be surrounded by
              parentheses, as shown above. TODAY, DATE and DAY must be
              uppercase and the mask must be lowercase. TODAY and DAY
              must have a # sign immediately following them (TODAY# and
              DAY#). DATE must not have a # sign following. All of the
              date masks must be preceded with an @ sign.

              Here are some sample calculations using date arithmetic,
              to help you understand these operations.

              Convert (@TODAY#) to date format
                           Put today's date (from the computer) into
                           month, day, year format with dashes
                           separating, like this: 10-20-88

                                ((@TODAY#) (@DATE,mdy-))

                           (@TODAY#) gets today's day number. Then,
                           (@DATE,mdy-) takes the result (today's day
                           number) and converts it to a mm-dd-yy
                           format.

              Elapsed time The following example calculates how many
                           days it took a customer to pay his bill.
                           (Find the answer to PAY_DATE minus
                           BUY_DATE). Assume that both dates are in
                           month/day/year format.

                                ((PAY_DATE(@DAY#,mdy))-(BUY_DATE(@DAY#,mdy)))

                           First, PAY_DATE is retrieved. Then, it is
                           converted to a day number and saved for use
                           later in the calculation. Then, BUY_DATE is
                           retrieved. It is converted to a day number.
                           Finally, the BUY_DATE day number is
                           subtracted from the PAY_DATE day number to
                           produce the difference in days between the
                           two dates.

              Calculate a future date
                           The following example calculates a new date
                           60 days after the CONTACT date.

                                (((CONTACT(@DAY#,mdy))+60) (@DATE,mdy/))





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                           First, the date in the CONTACT field is
                           converted to a day number. Then 60 is added
                           to the day number. The day number is then
                           converted back to a date in month/day/year
                           format.

              30.4.3  Relational Fields

              A relational lookup is just another type of calculation.
              When PC-File detects a relational field, it goes out to
              the indicated database and retrieves the necessary data,
              placing it into the input field for you. This occurs only
              when you add or modify a record.

              To specify a relational lookup as part of a calculation,
              you first use the @ character, followed by four more
              identifiers. Here's a sample relational lookup:

                   (@partno,pmaster,part,price)

              You can read this relational lookup from left to right,
              like this:

              "Using "partno" from the current database, go out to the
              "pmaster" database, and find the same data in the "part"
              field and bring back the data from the "price" field for
              that partno."

              You can use a relational lookup in conjunction with a
              calculation. The following example takes the current
              quantity, then goes out to the master file to find the
              price, and multiplies the two together (quantity times
              price).

                   (QUANTITY * @PARTNO,PMASTER,PART,PRICE)

              Here's the way to remember the order of what you're doing
              with a relational lookup:

                        (@related field,lookup database,lookup field,lookup data)

              RELATED FIELD
                           The field in the current database, which
                           contains a value that you want to look for
                           in some other database.




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              LOOKUP DATABASE
                           The database to look in, to find a match
                           from the related field. This may include a
                           drive and/or path, as well as the database
                           name. For example:

                                C:\PCFDB\CUSTOMER

                           You CANNOT abbreviate the lookup database
                           file name, and must not include a file
                           extension.

              LOOKUP FIELD The field in the LOOKUP DATABASE, which
                           corresponds to the RELATED FIELD. This field
                           may have a different name than the RELATED
                           FIELD, but its data will be the same.

              LOOKUP DATA  After finding a match in the LOOKUP
                           DATABASE, the data in this field is brought
                           back into the current database.

              You can retrieve a field from the relational lookup
              record that was retrieved most recently by using a
              relational calculation in the format (@*,LOOKUP DATA).
              When two or more fields are to be retrieved from the same
              database, the first field should be retrieved using the
              (@RELATED FIELD,LOOKUP DATABASE,LOOKUP FIELD,LOOKUP DATA)
              format. The subsequent fields should be retrieved using
              the (@*,LOOKUP DATA) format. This format allows PC-File
              to retrieve the subsequent fields without having to look
              up the record a second time - a very fast approach.
              "LOOKUP DATA" is the name of the field to be retrieved.

              30.4.4  Random Number Calculation

              PC-File also provides a calculation which produces random
              numbers. Here's an example to create a random number
              between 0  and 1:

                   (@RANDOM#)

              The function must be enclosed in parentheses. This number
              is available for further arithmetic or to be printed.
              Here's an example to create a random number between 0 and
              1000:




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                   ((@RANDOM#) * 1000)

              Note: The (@RANDOM#) function can be used for sorting and
              included in reports.

              30.4.5  If You Have Problems

              If the calculations in your database don't give you the
              correct results, investigate the following:

                    Make sure the field names referenced in the
                     calculation are spelled correctly.

                    Make sure the field containing the calculation is
                     accessed after all fields referenced in the
                     database.

              You can run the DBRPT program to verify these items.

              For relational calculations, refer to the Error Messages
              section for a list of error messages.


              30.5  ADD, MODIFY & BLANK ONLY


              Normally, automatic field masks, constants and
              calculations are active whenever you add and modify
              records. However, you can have masks, constants and
              calculations active only when you are adding new records,
              but not when you are modifying records. Or, you can have
              them active when modifying records, but not when adding
              new records. You can also make masks, constants and
              calculations performed only when a field is blank.

              To make a mask, constant or calculation active only when
              adding records, you put an "*A" at the end. This must be
              an uppercase A. Examples:

                   :UNIQUE*:*A
                   :DATE*:*A
                   :YYMMDD*09:*A
                   "Bellevue"*A
                   "District of Columbia"*A
                   ((QTY*PRICE).2)*A
                   (@Acct,Customer,Acct,Company)*A



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              To make a mask, constant or calculation active only when
              modifying records, you put an "*M" at the end. This must
              be an uppercase M. Examples:

                   :TIME*:*M
                   :DATE*09:*M
                   "PAID"*M
                   (100*PREV_BAL)*M

              To make a mask, constant or calculation active only when
              the field is blank, put an "*B" at the end. This must be
              an uppercase B. The blank-only option is especially
              useful when you want to override a calculation. You can
              prevent the calculation from being performed by typing
              information into that field. Examples:

                   :DD/MM/YY*:*B
                   "Completed"*B
                   (@Acct,Customer,Acct,Company)*B
                   (Subtotal*Discount_Rt)*B

              Note: Automatic field masks and constants are supplied,
              and calculations are performed during a global modify
              operation, unless they are defined as add-only or blank-
              only. In addition, input edit masks are always active
              during add and modify operations when combined with
              automatic field edit masks, even if the entire mask is
              defined as add-only, modify-only or blank-only.  Only the
              automatic field edit mask portion is affected by the
              add-only, modify-only or blank-only definition.



















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                                     Chapter 31

                            CONFIGURING SYSTEM - PROFILES


              PC-File comes configured ready to run on most IBM
              compatible machines. You can change many of the PC-File
              options to suit your individual taste and hardware
              configuration.

              The configuration commands are stored in a profile file.
              There are two types of profile files: the master profile,
              PCFILE.PRO, and individual database profiles,
              databasename.PRO.

              Whenever you start PC-File, it reads the PCFILE.PRO file
              on the current drive and path. PC-File uses the
              information found in PCFILE.PRO to adjust itself to your
              requirements. If PC-File does not find the file
              PCFILE.PRO on the current drive and path, it assumes
              certain defaults:

                   /BG,0          black background
                   /FG,15         bright white foreground
                   /FG2,7         white boxes and highlighting
                   /PAGELEN,66    the page is 66 lines long (11")

              PC-File also lets you to have an individual profile for
              each database. For example, you might want to have
              different colors, a different snapshot label definition,
              or different passwords for each database.

              After PC-File has started and processed the PCFILE.PRO
              file, it asks for the database to be used. If it finds a
              profile with the same name as the database, it will use
              the configuration commands in the database profile,
              overriding any similar commands from the PCFILE.PRO file.

              For example, if your database is named EMPLOYEE, you can
              create a profile for it called EMPLOYEE.PRO. You need to



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              place this profile on the same drive and subdirectory
              with your database. Whenever you use the EMPLOYEE
              database, PC-File will read the settings in EMPLOYEE.PRO
              and adjust itself accordingly.


              31.1  CHANGING THE CONFIGURATION


              You can change the configuration and profile parameters
              by selecting option P of the Utilities menu, "Profile
              files (set up configuration)."

              You are asked if you want to create a new profile, edit
              an existing profile, or load a new profile.

              When creating a new profile, you can use an existing
              profile as a sample. This will allow you to create a
              profile which is similar to another without having to
              type in all of the parameters.

              You can edit any profile. After making any changes, PC-
              File will automatically load PCFILE.PRO and the profile
              for the current database, provided they are stored in the
              correct drive and directory.

              You can load a profile with a name other than PCFILE or
              your current database. This is useful when you need
              multiple snapshots or different printer information, for
              example.


              31.1.1  The Configuration Screen

              The screen to change the configuration parameters offers these options:














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                         [graphic N:\manual\config1.eps goes

















                      here] 



                        Figure 31.1: The Configuration Screen



              If you are creating a new profile from scratch, the first
              eight fields will be blank, and the remaining options
              will be set to N. If you are using an existing profile as
              a sample, or if you are editing an existing profile, the
              first fifteen fields will be set accordingly. The last
              six fields are always set to N.

              You only need to provide answers for the parameters you
              wish to define or edit. To define or edit the printer
              defaults, passwords, the Keyin macro, phone port, phone
              commands and/or snapshot label, you must answer Y to the
              appropriate question. You will then be shown subsequent
              screens.


              Changing the Screen Colors

              You can select the colors for PC-File to use on your
              color monitor. There are five color options - one for
              background, one for text (foreground), one for field



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              names, one for the background color of windows (help
              screens and messages) and one for the foreground color of
              windows.

              To change these colors, move the cursor to the
              appropriate field and enter the number corresponding to
              the color you want. The colors are:

                   0    Black               8    Gray
                   1    Blue                9    Lt Blue
                   2    Green               10   Lt Green
                   3    Cyan                11   Lt Cyan
                   4    Red                 12   Lt Red
                   5    Magenta             13   Lt Magenta
                   6    Brown               14   Yellow
                   7    White               15   Bright White


              File Specification Defaults

              You can save a default drive, path, and/or database in
              PCFILE.PRO. If PCFILE.PRO contains any of these
              parameters, PC-File will bypass the screens asking for
              this information. The default drive, path and database
              parameters should not be used in an individual database
              profile.

              Let's say each time you start PC-File, you want to load
              the database called CUSTOMER which is on your C drive in
              the subdirectory called PCF. You would enter the
              following answers:

                   DATABASE DEFAULTS        Drive (A-Z)  [C]
                                                   Path  [\PCF               ]
                                          Database name  [CUSTOMER]

              Now, whenever you start PC-File, your CUSTOMER database
              will automatically be loaded for you. You won't have to
              tell PC-File which drive and path contain the database,
              and you won't have to select the database to use.

              Note: If you are using floppy diskettes, you probably
              will not store the database in a subdirectory. If you
              would like PC-File to bypass the "Path" question, you
              need to enter a backslash in the "Path" option of your
              PCFILE.PRO file.



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              These parameters have no effect when stored in
              database.PRO files.


              Miscellaneous Configuration Options

              Listed below are other miscellaneous configuration
              options which can be included in PCFILE.PRO or a database
              profile.


              Case Sensitive Finds

              PC-File treats upper and lower case letters the same when
              you search for data. However, you can have PC-File
              perform case sensitive searches in order to distinguish
              between upper and lower case letters. For example, if you
              request case sensitive searches, and ask for SMITH, PC-
              File will select all records with SMITH, but no records
              with Smith or SMIth, etc.


              Case Sensitive Sorts

              You can tell PC-File to distinguish between upper and
              lowercase letters when sorting and building indexes. If
              you request case sensitive sorts, uppercase letters will
              be sorted before lowercase letters. Otherwise, upper and
              lowercase letters will be treated equally. The following
              chart shows the difference between case sensitive and
              case insensitive sorts and indexes. Notice the sequence
              of names in the two columns.

                        CASE SENSITIVE      CASE INSENSITIVE
                        Anderson, Andy      Anderson, Andy
                        DAVIS, Donald       brown, bob
                        Davis, David        davis, danny
                        brown, bob          DAVIS, David
                        davis, danny        Davis, Donald



              AUTOSKIP

              Normally, PC-File requires you to press (Enter) to move
              from one field to the next while adding or modifying a



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              record. However, you can tell PC-File to automatically
              move to the next field if you fill the current field. In
              order for PC-File to automatically move the cursor to the
              next field, the cursor must be in the last position of
              the field.


              FASTVIEW

              The FASTVIEW option produces faster screen output. On
              some screens, however, selecting FASTVIEW may result in
              harmless "snow" whenever data is written to the screen.


              Expert menus

              This option causes PC-File to use a one line menu when
              displaying records and browsing in the Find command. The
              one line menu is displayed in the upper right corner of
              the screen.


              EGA/VGA mode

              If you are using an EGA or VGA monitor, you can display
              more lines per screen when browsing or printing to the
              screen. No other section of the program is affected.


              European dates

              Normally, PC-File prints dates on reports like November
              20, 1988. Selecting Y for this option causes PC-File to
              print dates in a European date format on reports, like
              20 November 1988. European dates shouldn't be used in
              databases with date fields.


              Changing the Printer Defaults

              PC-File allows you to define four different parameters
              for your printer. The four parameters are:

                    the printer control code(s) for Normal print

                    the printer control code(s) for Condensed print



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                    the length of the page

                    the port your printer is connected to

              If you answer Y to define or modify the printer defaults,
              you you will be asked to provide answers for each of the
              four parameters.

              Note: The printer defaults set in the profile do not
              affect snapshot labels, and are not used by PCLABEL.

              Printer Control Codes - Normal and Condensed

              When you print a report or a letter, you can select
              between two printer options, Normal and Condensed.

              If you answer Y to define or modify the printer defaults,
              you are shown a screen listing various printers. Select
              the printer you are using.




                         [graphic N:\manual\config2.eps goes

















                      here] 
                                Figure 31.2: Printers






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              We have included printer control codes for some of the
              more popular printers. If you see your printer listed,
              enter the appropriate letter.

              Note: If you want to view or edit the current codes,
              select option 1.

              You can tell PC-File not to send any printer control
              codes to the printer. You might want to do this if you
              have a daisy-wheel printer, or if you use an external
              program to set your printer control codes. Answer 0 if
              you do not want to send any printer control codes to the
              printer.

              If you do not see your printer listed, or if you want to
              change the pre-defined printer control codes for your
              printer, press 1. You will be taken to another screen to
              enter the printer control codes. First, you enter the
              printer control codes for normal print. Next, you enter
              the printer control codes for condensed print.

              Enter the printer control codes in the editing window. As
              indicated on the screen, you should enter the ASCII
              decimal value of the printer control code, separating
              each ASCII value with a comma. For example, if the code
              for normal print or 10 cpi for your printer is ESC G, you
              would type 27,71. You do not need a comma after the last
              value. Refer to your printer manual for the control codes
              for your printer.

              You are not limited to normal print or condensed print.
              You can enter the printer control codes for italics,
              double-strike, elite pitch, etc. However, remember that
              the codes you enter for Normal are sent to the printer
              when you use the normal parameter, and the codes you
              enter for Condensed are sent to the printer when you use
              the condensed parameter.


              Page Length

              After you have selected the printer control codes for
              normal and condensed print, you enter the page length.
              The length of the page can be calculated by multiplying
              the length of the paper in inches by the number of lines
              printed per inch. Normally, a printer prints six lines



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              per inch. If are using 8 1/2" by 11" paper, you indicate
              66 lines per page (6 x 11 = 66). Note: Laser printers
              usually use 60 lines per page in portrait mode.


              Printer Port

              You are asked to select the port your printer is
              connected to. Most printers are connected to the first
              parallel port, LPT1:. However, some printers, such as
              laser printers and daisy-wheel printers may be connected
              to the serial port, COM1: or COM2:. Select the port for
              your hardware configuration.


              Passwords

              PC-File allows you to establish passwords for each of
              your databases. The passwords will NOT protect your
              database from persons with evil intentions. The passwords
              are only designed to prevent users of the database from
              accidentally performing operations that they do not
              normally do.

              If you define a password for a particular function, you
              must enter the correct password whenever you try to
              access that function. For example, if you define an ADD
              password, when you press (F1) or type A from the Master
              Menu, PC-File prompts you to enter the password. If you
              do not enter the correct password, PC-File will not let
              you add new records.  If you don't provide passwords for
              a database, all users of the database will be allowed to
              perform any of the operations.

              Each of the following operations can be controlled by the
              use of passwords:

                    viewing the database, or using it in any way
                    adding records
                    modifying records
                    deleting records
                    sorting the database
                    performing system type operations on the database,
                     such as changing smart keys, cloning the database.





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              It's even possible to set the passwords up so that the
              Master Menu omits options you don't want the user to know
              about.

              Before we talk about each password, here are a few notes
              about passwords in general.

              Passwords are from one to three characters long. Any of
              the characters on the keyboard can be used in the
              password, in any combination. Thus, passwords can be
              numbers, letters, punctuation marks, or any combination
              of these. Here are some valid passwords:

                   911
                   JB
                   RED
                   #*$
                   R/D

              The password feature is not case sensitive. For example,
              if you define a password ABC, the user of the system will
              be allowed access if he/she provides abc,  aBc, etc. This
              is so that it will be easy to enter the password, if you
              know it!

              One password that has particular meaning is XXX. If you
              specify XXX as the password for a certain activity, it
              means that NO one should be allowed to perform the
              activity. The activity won't be displayed as an option on
              the Master Menu. However, you can optionally provide an
              override password for your own use. You'll learn more
              about the override password later.

              If you answer Y to define or modify the passwords, you
              are given the following options to choose from:

                       -  MASTER MENU Password
                       -  ADD Password
                       -  MODIFY Password
                       -  DELETE Password
                       -  SORT Password
                       -  SYSTEM Password
                       -  XXX OVERRIDE Password

              If you don't want a particular feature to be password
              protected, just leave the password field blank.



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              There are seven different passwords.

              Master Menu Password
                           This is the highest level password. If you
                           provide a Master Menu password, the user
                           will have to give this password in order to
                           do ANYTHING with the database. If this
                           password can't be provided, the user will
                           not be allowed to access any aspect of the
                           database. It can't even be viewed.

              Add Password This password controls adding records to the
                           database. If a password is specified here,
                           the user will have to provide the same
                           password the first time an attempt is made
                           to add a record to the database.

              Modify Password
                           This password controls modifying records in
                           the database. If a password is specified
                           here, the user will have to provide the same
                           password the first time an attempt is made
                           to modify a record in the database.

              Delete Password
                           This password controls deleting records in
                           the database. If a password is specified
                           here, the user will have to provide the same
                           password the first time an attempt is made
                           to delete a record in the database.

              Sort Password
                           This password controls sorting the database.
                           If a sort password is specified, the user
                           will have to give the same password in order
                           to sort the database.

              System Password
                           This password controls system type
                           activities. If a system password is
                           specified, users of the database will have
                           to provide the same password before they are
                           allowed to do any system activities. These
                           activities are:





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                                 changing the configuration setup
                                  options

                                 defining and changing smart keys

                                 changing field names, edit masks, and
                                  calculated fields

                                 changing the database definition
                                  (cloning)

                                 using global modify or delete

              Override password
                           Remember that if XXX is the password for one
                           of the above options, no one can use the
                           feature that the password controls. It won't
                           even show up on the Master Menu. The
                           override password, if specified, will allow
                           bypassing of all XXX passwords.

                           If you specify an override password, a new
                           command, X, will be made active at the
                           Master Menu. This new command will not show
                           up on the menu because it's a hidden
                           command. When you type X, the system will
                           ask you for the override password. If you
                           can provide the override password, you'll be
                           allowed access to all of the operations that
                           were formerly locked out by XXX passwords.

                           Thus, the override password is provided to
                           keep others from knowing about or having to
                           view certain menu options. At the same time,
                           you'll be able to issue an override password
                           and access all features of PC-File.

                           As an example, let's say you don't want
                           anyone except yourself to be able to add,
                           modify or delete records or perform any
                           system activity. In fact, you don't want
                           other users to see these options on the
                           screen.

                           You would define the Add, Modify, Delete and
                           System Passwords to be XXX. In order to



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                           perform these functions yourself, however,
                           you'll need to define an Override or XXX
                           password. When you issue the X command and
                           give the correct Override password, you'll
                           be able to add, modify, delete, and perform
                           system functions.

              The passwords themselves are kept on the disk in an
              encrypted format, so that they won't be easily discovered
              by prying eyes. Also, when a user is entering a password,
              it will not be displayed on the screen. Again, this is so
              watchful eyes will have a more difficult time seeing the
              password.


              /KEYIN - Keystrokes to Run at Startup

              You can have PC-File automatically run the equivalent of
              a smart key every time it loads a profile. The /KEYIN
              command is executed when you start PC-File if the command
              is PCFILE.PRO. Likewise, it's executed every time the
              database is opened if the command is in the associated
              database profile.

              To define or modify the /KEYIN command, answer Y on the
              setup screen. Enter the command keystrokes in the editing
              window. Refer to Chapter 33, "Setting up the Smart Keys"
              for a list of characters allowed in the /KEYIN command
              string.

              Let's say that every time you load your customer
              database, you want to go directly to the simple search
              screen. You don't want the operator to have to remember
              to do this every day. The following /KEYIN command would
              do this for you automatically.

                   /KEYIN,FSS

              This /KEYIN command tells PC-File to do the following
              keystrokes: press F to go to the Find menu, press S to
              select search, then press S again to indicate a simple
              search.







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              SNAPSHOT MAILING LABELS

              To define or modify a Snapshot mailing label, answer Y in
              the field Snapshot Label.

              You can include up to 511 characters in your snapshot
              label definition. The snapshot label definition is:

                   device,t,f,f,f,f,f,f,f,f,f,f

              Replace "device" with the name of the DOS device to be
              used for snapshot label output. This is usually be LPT1:
              (a printer connected to the first parallel port). If you
              have a serial port printer, indicate either COM1: or
              COM2:. You can print the snapshot to a file on disk,
              rather than to a printer. To do this, include the name of
              the file as the device. When you do a snapshot to disk,
              the snapshot is always placed at the end of (appended to)
              previous snapshots on the disk.

              Replace t with a number specifying how far to tab to the
              right on each line of your mailing label or report.

              Replace the f's in the definition as follows:

              New Line     Use 0 (zero) when you want to start a new
                           line.

              A Field Number
                           Select the fields you want, in the order
                           that you want them printed. To select the
                           first field, enter 1; to select the second
                           field, enter 2, etc.

              Number of Characters to tab right
                           The number must be preceded by a minus sign.
                           For example, if you want to tab 10 spaces to
                           the right, enter -10. This causes PC-File to
                           insert 10 spaces after the last character
                           printed, before printing the next piece of
                           data.  -10 does not cause PC-File to tab to
                           column 10.

              A Constant   A constant is any text that you want printed
                           on each label. Each constant must be




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                           surrounded by the apostrophe character.
                           Quote marks will not work. Example:

                                `DO NOT BEND'

              You can put as many f values as needed in your snapshot
              definition. Each value must be separated by a comma.

              Here's a sample snapshot label definition:

                        LPT1:,8,1,0,2,0,3,4,5,-5,'UPS BLUE',0,0,0,0

              The number of 0's equals the number of lines in a label.


              Using the Snapshot Label Feature

              Once you have defined the snapshot, all you have to do to
              print the label is press (Ctrl)L while viewing a record
              on the screen.


              An Example of a Snapshot Mailing Label

              Let's try an example. Assume that your database is
              defined with these field names in this order:

                   LASTNAME
                   FIRSTNAME
                   ADDRESS
                   CITY
                   STATE
                   COUNTRY
                   ZIPCODE
                   PHONE

              Also suppose that you want your address labels to look
              like this:

                   firstname  lastname
                   address
                   city  state  zipcode
                   country             FIRST CLASS

              In addition, you want to tab over ten spaces before you
              print each line of the label. You also need two blank



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              lines at the end of each label to get the printer to the
              top of the next label.

              Your snapshot command string would look like this:

                   LPT1:,10,2,1,0,3,0,4,5,7,0,6,-15,'FIRST CLASS',0,0,0

              Printing to a Disk File

              Using the same database as above, let's assume that you
              want to keep a log of your telephone calls each day. Each
              time someone calls, you look them up in the database, and
              do a snapshot label and save this data to a disk file
              called CALLS. Your snapshot command string might look
              like this:

                        CALLS,0,2,1,3,4,5,7,6,8,0

              PC-File will create a file named CALLS if one does not
              exist. If a file CALLS already exists, PC-File will
              append the snapshot data for the record displayed to the
              end of the CALLS file.


              Imbedding Blank Lines and Spaces

              The snapshot label removes spaces within a line, and
              removes blank lines in order to produce a nicer looking
              label. There might be times when you want a blank line
              within the body of your label. To imbed a blank line,
              tell PC-File to print some data on the empty line (a
              space will do). Since PC-File has printed some data, PC-
              File leaves the line in the label. Using the example
              database above, if you want a blank line to print between
              the line with CITY, STATE and ZIP (4,5,7) and the line
              with COUNTRY (6), enter:

                   LPT1:,10,2,1,0,3,0,4,5,7,0,' ', 0,6,-15,'FIRST CLASS',0,0

              The combination ' ',0 causes PC-File to print a blank
              line within the body of the snapshot label.

              Phone Dialer






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              PC-File has the ability to place phone calls for you. For
              more information on setting up this feature, please refer
              to the chapter "Autodialing Phone Numbers".

              31.1.2  Saving the Profile

              After you have answered all the profile configuration
              questions, you are asked if you are ready to save the
              profile. If you made a mistake or forgot to change a
              parameter, answer N. You will be taken back to the first
              screen, and allowed to modify any answer.

              If you have completed the configuration setup, answer Y.
              Enter the drive, path and name of the profile to save the
              parameters in.

              PC-File automatically reloads PCFILE.PRO on the program
              drive and path, and the profile for the current database.


              31.1.3  Using a Text Editor to Modify Profiles

              You can edit a profile with a text editor or word
              processor that saves the file in an ASCII format. In
              fact, in order to include the more advanced profile
              commands listed in the next section, you must edit the
              profile.


              31.1.4  ADVANCED PROFILE COMMANDS

              There are several profile commands which cannot be
              selected from the configuration screen. You must use a
              text editor or word processing program to enter these
              commands in a profile.

              The /DELAY,n parameter slows the processing of smart
              keys. This parameter can be used when you want to see
              exactly what keys a smart key is sending. /DELAY,n is
              also useful for creating smart keys you will use at a
              demonstration. Replace the "n" in the command with a
              value representing 18ths of a second.  For example:
              /DELAY,9 would pause for 9/18, or 1/2 second.

              The /ENTER parameter causes the Enter key to behave like
              the (F10) key.



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              The /LAN parameter is required when using PC-File on a
              local area network. You should place /LAN in the
              PCFILE.PRO or the database.PRO of any database which will
              be used by multiple operators at the same time. Refer to
              Chapter 37, "LANS and PC-File" for more information.

              The /MEMOW,n parameter sets the width of the editing
              window for memo fields. For example, to set the width of
              the editing window to 75, include /MEMOW,75 in PCFILE.PRO
              or the database.PRO. Do not use a value greater than 132.
              The /MEMOW,n paramter affects all memo fields in the
              database.

              Note: The /MEMOW,n parameter should not be changed in a
              profile that will affect databases with existing data in
              memo fields. If you change the /MEMOW,n parameter, the
              existing memo field data will have to be reformatted.

              The /NOTRAP parameter is provided for compatibility with
              some memory resident programs. If you have trouble
              running PC-File with memory resident programs, include
              /NOTRAP  in PCFILE.PRO or database.PRO.

              31.1.5  PROFILE COMMANDS ON DOS COMMAND LINE

              Any profile command can be used on the DOS command line
              when PC-File is started. To do this, type PCF, press the
              space bar once, then type the configuration command. For
              example:

                   PCF  /DRIVE,C,/PATH,\PCFDB,/FILE,ADDRESS

              If you need to include more than one command, you must
              separate each command with a comma. For your convenience,
              you can also place all of the information in a DOS batch
              file which would automatically execute the commands for
              you. For more information on batch files, consult your
              DOS manual.


              31.1.6  CONFIGURATION COMMANDS SUMMARY

              /ADDPW,xxx   password allowing additions
              /AUTOSKIP    skip to next field when field full
              /BG,n        screen background color




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              /BGW,n       window background color (help screens and
                           messages)
              /CASEFIND    cause case sensitive searches
              /CASESORT    cause case sensitive sorts and indexes
              /CONDENSED,n,n
                           characters to cause condensed print
              /DELAY,n     slow processing of macros by n/18 of a
                           second
              /DELPW,xxx   password allowing deletions
              /DRIVE,x     default disk drive for data
              /EGA         support for EGA monitor
              /ENTER       Force Enter key to behave like (F10) key
              /EURODATE    print dates in European format
              /EXPERT      smaller menus where possible
              /FASTVIEW    faster screen writes (possible snow)
              /FG,n        first color for screen foreground
              /FG2,n       second color for screen foreground
              /FGW,n       window foreground color (help screens and
                           messages)
              /FILE,xxx    name of default database
              /KEYIN,xxx   keystrokes to run at startup
              /LAN         operate in LAN mode
              /LBL,xxx     Snapshot label definition
              /MEMOW,nn    editing width of memo fields
              /MODPW,xxx   password allowing modifications
              /NORMAL,n,n  normal size print codes
              /NOTRAP      don't trap disk errors and (Ctrl)(Break)
              /PAGELEN,n   size of page (number of print lines)
              /PATH,xxx    default subdirectory for data
              /PHPORT,xxx  communications port for telephone dialing
              /PHPRE,"xxx" automatic phone prefix
              /PRPORT,xxx  printer port to send output to
              /SORTPW,xxx  sort operations password
              /SYSPW,xxx   system operations password
              /USEPW,xxx   use PC-File password
              /VGA         support for VGA monitor
              /XXXPW,xxx   override password












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                                     Chapter 32

                                 RE-DESCRIBE A FILE


              The file description is the text that was used to tell
              the purpose of the file at the time it was created. It is
              displayed next to the file name when selecting files. The
              "Re-describe a file" option of the Utilities menu allows
              you to change and/or add a file description.

              To change the file description, press R from the
              Utilities menu. You are give the following file types to
              re-describe:

                   Database
                   Graph format
                   Letter (mailmerge)
                   Report format

              Select a file type. PC-File then prompts you for the
              drive, path and file name. After you have selected the
              file, PC-File prompts you for the new file description.
              Type the file description and press (Enter).

              Note: Files created with PC-File+, PC-File/R and PC-File
              III did not allow a file description. When you use the
              "Re-describe a File" option of the Utilities menu, PC-
              File does not allow you to enter any keystrokes. This is
              because PC-File allows you to enter a description only as
              long as the previous description, which is 0. To add a
              description to a database from a previous version of PC-
              File, first use the Utilities, Alter Data Entry Screen
              Text command. To add a description to a report or letter,
              edit the report or letter, then save it.








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                                     Chapter 33

                                     SMART KEYS


              Twenty two different keys on your keyboard can be used to
              store data and/or commands. These are called smart keys
              or macros. You can store up to 318 keystrokes in each of
              the smart keys. The entire sequence can be "played out"
              just by pressing the appropriate smart key.

              A different set of 22 smart keys can be set up for each
              database that you work with. An individual database can
              use multiple smart key files.

              The smart keys are the number keys 0 through 9 located at
              the top of your keyboard, the "-" and "=" keys, also at
              the top of the keyboard, and the function keys (F1)
              through (F10). They are not the keys on the numeric
              keypad at the right side of your keyboard.

              To use a smart key, hold down the (Alt) key and then
              press the desired smart key. The keystrokes from the
              smart key will be entered just as if you had typed them
              in from the keyboard. If the smart key hasn't been
              defined, nothing will happen when it's pressed.


              33.1  MEMORIZING KEYSTROKES


              Here's how to memorize your keystrokes for use in a smart
              key: Press (Alt)Y at any time you're using PC-File. This
              puts PC-File into smart key memorize mode. From then on,
              each keystroke is remembered for you. In addition, each
              keystroke is accompanied by an audible sound. This is
              done to remind you that your keystrokes are being
              memorized.





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              When you want to stop memorizing your keystrokes, press
              (Alt)Y a second time. This causes PC-File to stop
              remembering your keystrokes. You are shown a menu of the
              current smart keys and asked which smart key to save the
              keystrokes into. Press (Alt) with any of the number keys
              (0-9), the "-" or the "=" key, or (F1) through (F10). The
              memorized keystrokes is placed into that smart key for
              future use. From then on, when you want to play back your
              keystrokes, press (Alt) with the smart key identifier.
              Lastly, PC-File asks you for the smart key title.

              Note: If your smart key selects a report format or
              another PC-File database, it is best to have the smart
              key enter the complete file name rather than the number
              that corresponds to that file.


              33.2  EDITING EXISTING SMART KEYS


              You can edit an existing smart key. To edit a smart key,
              press U to select the Utilities option from the Master
              Menu. Then, from the Utilities menu, select option K,
              "Keys (smart): load, modify or save". When you choose
              Edit, the definition of all smart keys is displayed, and
              you are asked which key you want to edit. Press any valid
              smart key. You must press (Alt) and the smart key
              identifier.

              Next you are prompted to enter the keystrokes for the
              smart key. You can enter up to 318 characters, typed in
              exactly the way you want the smart key to run. You can
              enter actual data, such as the name of a city which you
              type frequently, or you can intermix commands with the
              data.

              At the front of the smart key data, it's wise to insert a
              title, or note to the operator. The title for each smart
              key is displayed whenever you press (F9) or type M while
              viewing the Master Menu. This allows you to set up your
              own smart key menu to identify the function of each smart
              key. Here's how to place a title at the front of the
              smart key data. Enter a left parenthesis, followed by the
              title, followed by a right parenthesis. Here's an
              example:




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                   (Access the CUSTOMER database)QDC\DATA[324]CUSTOMER[324]

              The title of this smart key is "Access the CUSTOMER
              database". The remaining characters are the actual smart
              key keystrokes.

              Some keys on your keyboard can't be entered directly as
              keystrokes. For example, if you try to use the (Enter)
              key as data, it will be intercepted as a command instead
              of included in the smart key. The same is true of the
              cursor movement keys, and the (Ins) and (Del) keys. There
              is a unique way to enter these keystrokes into a smart
              key.

              First, type a left square bracket. Next, type a number
              from the table below. Finally, type the right square
              bracket. For example, (Enter) looks like this: [13] and
              (PgUp) looks like this: [329].

              The table below shows some of the more common special
              keys on the PC keyboard that you'll be using when you set
              up smart keys.

                   F1        [315]          rt arrow    [333]          (Alt)P  [281]
                   F2        [316]          End         [335]          (Alt)T  [276]
                   F3        [317]          dwn arrow   [336]          (Alt)V  [303]
                   F4        [318]          PgDn        [337]          (Alt)Y  [277]
                   F5        [319]          Ins         [338]          (Ctrl)A [1]
                   F6        [320]          Del         [339]          (Ctrl)B [2]
                   F7        [321]          Tab         [9]            (Ctrl)D [4]
                   F8        [322]          Shift Tab   [271]          (Ctrl)E [5]
                   F9        [323]          (Alt)C      [302]          (Ctrl)F [6]
                   F10       [324]          (Alt)D      [288]          (Ctrl)J [10]
                   Enter     [13]           (Alt)E      [274]          (Ctrl)L [12]
                   Home      [327]          (Alt)H      [291]          (Ctrl)O [15]
                   up arrow  [328]          (Alt)I      [279]          (Ctrl)P [16]
                   PgUp      [329]          (Alt)J      [292]          (Ctrl)R [18]
                   lft arrow [331]          (Alt)M      [296]          (Ctrl)V [22]
                                                                       (Ctrl)W [23]



                       Figure 33.1: Keystroke codes for smart keys






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              The number inside the brackets is the ASCII value of the
              key. If the key produces a two character extended code,
              the number is 256 plus the second character of the
              extended code. A complete list of the extended codes can
              be found at the back of your BASIC manual in the section
              titled "Extended Codes."

              Note: The list above shows the smart key values when you
              are not in the editor. The smart key values are different
              when you are in the editor. If you want to use an (Alt)
              or (Ctrl) key combination or function key within the
              editor, record the smart key using (Alt)Y.  You can edit
              the smart key to determine the values of these keys
              within the editor.


              33.3  NESTING SMART KEYS


              You can nest smart keys within other smart keys. Only the
              smart keys 0 through 9 can be nested. To do this, type
              the ^ character followed by the smart key number. For
              example, assume that smart key 1 contains the data CDEF.
              Assume that smart key 2 contains the data AB^1GH. If you
              press (Alt)2, the ^1 in smart key 2 is replaced by the
              data CDEF from smart key 1. All the rest of the smart key
              2 data is brought in unchanged. The final result is
              ABCDEFGH.


              33.4  PAUSING FOR INPUT


              You can force the smart key to pause and accept keyboard
              input from the operator. To do this, type ^ (shift 6 on
              most keyboards) followed by K for "Keyboard". When the
              smart key sends out its data, it pauses when it comes to
              the ^K and lets the operator type until (Enter) or (F10)
              is pressed. Then, the smart key continues with any
              remaining data. While PC-File is waiting for operator
              input within a smart key, the shape of the cursor changes
              to a half block shape. This is to alert the operator that
              the keystrokes are being requested from the operator.






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              33.5  RECURSIVE SMART KEYS


              You can use a recursive smart key to modify all or
              selected records in a database. A recursive smart key is
              one which loops on itself, repeating until the process is
              complete. A recursive smart key must be defined using the
              number keys (0-9). You cannot use the - or = smart keys
              or function key smart keys with a recursive smart key.

              A recursive smart key allows you to insert data in a
              field without overwriting existing data, delete specific
              data in a field, or use a special key like CtrlO. The
              smart key would modify the record, make the changes and
              then save the record. The smart key would then get the
              next record to be modified and repeat itself.

              Below is an example of a smart key that would add a
              unique number using the :UNIQUE*: mask to records you
              just imported. This smart key is very straightforward. It
              types M to modify the record, F10 to save the record, N
              to bring up the next record, then runs Smart Key 1.
              Because this smart key calls smart key 1, to be
              recursive, you must save definition as Smart Key 1.

                   M[324]N^1

              The following smart key modifies a record and insert the
              text "INS " beginning at the fifth position of the third
              field. This smart key assumes that you are modifying
              selected records. The F at the end of the smart key tells
              PC-File to find the next record that meets the search
              criteria.

                   M[336][336][333][333][333][333][338]INS[324]F^1

              This smart key types M to modify the current record,
              press the down arrow twice to move to the third field
              ([336] is the down arrow), presses the right arrow key
              four times to move to the fifth character in the field
              ([333] is the right arrow), presses the INS key to turn
              insert mode on ([338] is the INS key), types INS, then
              presses F10 to save the record, then F to find the next
              record matching the selection criteria, then runs Smart
              Key 1. Because this smart key calls smart key 1, to be
              recursive, you must save definition as Smart Key 1.



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              By placing ^n at the end of a smart key (where n is the
              smart key number your are using), you can cause PC-File
              to repeat the smart key. If you are modifying all of the
              records in the database, you would place an N to display
              the next record, immediately preceding the ^n. If you are
              modifying selected records, you would use an F to find
              the next record matching the selection criteria.

              Before starting a recursive smart key, you need to
              display the first record you want to modify. If you want
              to modify all records, from the main menu, type F for
              Find, and then type B for Beginning to display the first
              (beginning) record. If you want to modify selected
              records, use the Simple or Complex search to display the
              first record you want to modify.

              There are two methods for defining recursive smart keys.
              You can edit a smart key and enter the appropriate smart
              key commands, or you can record (memorize) the smart key
              as you type the appropriate keys. Which method you use
              depends on the complexity of the smart key. It is
              sometimes easier to edit a smart key using the Utilities,
              Smart Key command, especially with short, straightforward
              smart keys, like the first example above.

              To edit a smart key, from the main menu, press U for
              Utilities, then S for Smart Keys, then E for Edit. Select
              a smart key 0 - 9. Recursive smart keys cannot be stored
              as -, = or function key smart keys. Enter the appropriate
              smart key commands, then press F10 twice to return to the
              Utilities menu.

              To record (memorize) a recursive smart key, first display
              the first record to be modified. If you are modifying all
              records, do this by pressing F for Find from the main
              menu, then B for Beginning record. If you are modifying
              selected records, do this by pressing F for Find at the
              main menu, then S for Search. Then select Simple or
              Complex search, enter the appropriate search criteria,
              then press F10. With the first record to modified
              displayed on the screen, you are ready to define the
              smart key. A recursive smart key must be defined using
              the number keys (0-9). You cannot use the - or = smart
              keys or function key smart keys with a recursive smart
              key. This example assumes you will save the smart key as
              Alt1. To define the smart key, hold down the Alt key and



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              press Y. This begins recording the smart key. After
              pressing Enter to clear the message window, your
              keystrokes will be memorized. Press M to modify the
              current record, move to the field to be modified, enter
              the appropriate data, press F10 to save the record. If
              you are modifying all records, press N for the next
              record. If you are modifying selected records, press F to
              find the next appropriate record. Now press the ^
              character (Shift 6), then the number you will use to
              store the smart key, in our example 1. When you press ^
              and the number, PC-File will beep. This is to be
              expected. Now press AltY to stop the smart key
              definition. Save the smart key in the number you used
              after the ^ character, in our example, Alt1, then enter a
              title if desired. You can use the smart key at this point
              by holding down the Alt key and the number of the smart
              key.


              33.6  LOADING OTHER SMART KEY FILES


              PC-File allows you to load multiple smart key files. This
              is a very convenient feature, especially if you have a
              large number of smart keys. Rather than being limited to
              22 smart keys, you have access to an unlimited number of
              smart keys, because you can load different smart key
              files.

              To load a smart key file, press S from the Utilities
              menu. You are presented with these choices:

              The smart keys are remembered in a file called
              databasename.KEY (where databasename is the name of your
              database), on your data disk. Different smart key files
              can be created for use with different databases. The
              databasename.KEY file is automatically loaded when the
              corresponding database is opened.


                       -  Edit current smart keys
                       -  Load other smart key file
                       -  Save current smart keys to new file






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              Press L and you are prompted to enter the drive and path
              where the file is stored. Then you are asked to select
              your smart key file.

              For convenience, (Alt)M is a keyboard shortcut for
              loading a smart key file. When you press (Alt)M, PC-File
              shows you all of the smart key files in the directory
              where your database is stored. Type the name of the file
              and press (Enter). You can use (Alt)M anywhere in the
              program. You can also include (Alt)M in a smart key -
              allowing a smart key to load another set of smart keys.
              (Alt)M is represented in a smart key as [296].

              Note: (Alt)M cannot be used in the editor to load another
              smart key file.


              33.7  SMART KEY MENUS


              When you press M at the Master Menu, you see a menu of
              your smart key titles. Frequent, repetitive tasks, even
              with long keystroke sequences, can be reduced to single-
              key selections from the menu you have created. For
              repetitive tasks, it is usually easier to select an item
              from a menu than it is to type the individual keystrokes.

              If each of your smart key sequences ends with the
              keystrokes to return to the Master Menu and M (to select
              the smart key menu), each of your smart keys will return
              to the smart key menu. If you have provided comments for
              each of your smart keys, you will then see the comments
              displayed as your custom selection menu.
















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                                     Chapter 34

                                 UN-DELETING RECORDS


              PC-File can un-delete deleted records in the current
              database. To un-delete records, select option U, "Un-
              delete records" from the Utilities menu.

              PC-File scans the database. Each time a deleted record is
              found, PC-File displays it on your screen, and asks if
              you want to un-delete it. You can press Y to un-delete
              the record or press N to leave the record deleted. If you
              press X, PC-File will un-delete the current record and
              all remaining deleted records. This option is handy if
              you accidentally deleted a batch of records. Press Q to
              quit the undelete process and to return to the Utilities
              menu. The current record will remain deleted.

              PC-File can only recover deleted records which still
              exist in the database. If you removed deleted records by
              running PCPACK or cloning the database, PC-File will not
              be able to recover those deleted records. Likewise, you
              will not be able to recover deleted records if new
              records have been added in place of the deleted records.


















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                                     Chapter 35

                                  INDEX OPERATIONS


              Pressing X from the Utilities menu brings up the
              following options:

                  -  Make a new index
                  -  Switch to a different index
                  -  Delete an existing index
                  -  Rename an existing index


              35.1  MAKING A NEW INDEX


              To make a new index, press M. The arrow shown in front of
              the field name means that the field has an existing index
              file. If you choose this field again, the new index will
              replace the old one. Move your cursor to the field that
              you want to index, and press (F10). An index file is
              built for the field you choose and becomes the active
              index.

              NAMING THE INDEX

              Each time an index is created you are asked to supply a
              file name for it.  The default file name is the field
              name (truncated to 8 characters or less).  You can change
              this to any valid DOS file name.  You should always use a
              name which will not conflict with other index names in
              the same subdirectory, i.e., a unique name. You cannot
              use the same name for more than one index file in the
              same subdirectory. If two databases or fields have index
              files with the same name, errors will result.

              INDEX TYPE

              The new index can be one of three types:



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              Ascending    The index is maintained in ascending
                           sequence based on the ASCII decimal value of
                           the characters, with all the "A's" coming
                           before all the "B's", for example.

              Descending   The index is maintained in descending, or
                           reverse sequence based on the ASCII decimal
                           value of the characters.  "Z's" come ahead
                           of "A's",  for example, and "999" comes
                           before "111" in a descending index.

              User Defined The index is maintained in a user-defined
                           sequence. You are allowed to enter dBASE
                           commands to describe how the index is
                           maintained.  More detail on this follows.

              USER-DEFINED INDEXES

              You are allowed to enter your own dBASE expressions when
              you first make a user-defined index. From then on, PC-
              File maintains the index by following the dBASE
              expression which you entered. These commands are only
              available when building indexes and choosing subtotal
              triggers.

              These commands are included for the convenience of those
              experienced with dBASE programming. Please refer to a
              dBASE reference book for extensive explanations on how to
              create and use user-defined indexes.

              Here are some examples:

              LASTNAME+FIRSTNAME
                           The index is maintained by concatenating
                           LASTNAME and FIRSTNAME, with LASTNAME being
                           the most major field.

              UPPER(LEFT(STATE,2))
                           The left two characters of STATE are
                           converted to upper case to form the index
                           entries.

              MAX(LASTMONTH,THISMONTH)
                           The highest of the two month figures is used
                           as the index entry.




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              Here's a brief description of each of the dBASE functions
              that you can use to form the index expression:


              ABS(numeric expr)
                           Gives the absolute value of the numeric
                           expression.

              ASC(char string)
                           Gives the ASCII decimal value of the first
                           character of the expression.

              AT(char str1,char str1)
                           Gives the starting position of char string 1
                           in char string 2, or 0 if string 1 isn't
                           found in string 2.

              CDOW(date expr)
                           Gives a string containing the name of the
                           day of the week.

              CHR(numeric expr)
                           Gives a string containing the single
                           character specified by the ASCII decimal
                           code represented by the numeric expression.

              CMONTH(date expr)
                           Gives a string containing the name of the
                           month.

              CTOD(char expr)
                           Gives a date matching the character string
                           supplied as input.

              DATE()       Gives the system date obtained from the
                           operating system.

              DAY(date expr)
                           Gives a number representing the day of the
                           month from the date expression supplied.

              DESCEND(char string)
                           Converts the string to descending sequence.
                           This is done by subtracting each character
                           in the string from 256 and using the result
                           as the ASCII value of the resulting



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                           character.  Note: This function is specific
                           to PC-File and is not recognized by dBASE.

              DOW(date expr)
                           Gives a number representing the day of the
                           week from the date expression supplied.

              DTOC(date expr)
                           Converts the date expression to a character
                           string representation of the date.

              EXP(num expr)
                           Gives the result of raising e (the base for
                           natural logarithms) to the power specified
                           by the numeric expression.

              IIF(condition,expr1,expr2)
                           If condition is true, evaluates expr1. If
                           condition is false, evaluates expr2.

              INT(num expr)
                           Gives the integer value of the numeric
                           expression.

              ISALPHA(char expr)
                           Evaluates to true if the first character
                           provided in char expr is a letter of the
                           alphabet, otherwise evaluates to false.

              ISDIGIT(char expr)
                           Evaluates to true if the first character
                           provided in char expr is a numeric digit "0"
                           to "9", otherwise evaluates to false.

              ISLOWER(char expr)
                           Evaluates to true if the first character
                           provided in char expr is a lower case letter
                           of the alphabet, otherwise evaluates to
                           false.

              ISUPPER(char expr)
                           Evaluates to true if the first character
                           provided in char expr is an upper case
                           letter of the alphabet, otherwise evaluates
                           to false.




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              LEFT(char expr,length)
                           Gives the leftmost "length" characters from
                           char expr.

              LEN(char expr)
                           Gives the length of the char expr.

              LOWER(char expr)
                           Gives a string created by converting all the
                           supplied input characters to lower case.

              LTRIM(char expr)
                           Gives a string exactly like the input
                           string, but with all leading blanks removed.

              MAX(num expr,num epxr)
                           Gives the number represented by the greater
                           of the two numeric expressions.

              MIN(num expr,num expr)
                           Gives the number represented by the lesser
                           of the two numeric expressions.

              MOD(num expr,num expr)
                           Gives the remainder that results when the
                           first numeric expression is divided by the
                           second.

              MONTH(date expr)
                           Gives the number representing the month from
                           the date expression supplied.

              RECCOUNT()   Gives the number of records in the database.

              RECNO()      Gives the record number (in the DBF file) of
                           the record currently being indexed.

              RECSIZE()    Gives the record length of the current
                           database.

              REPLICATE(char expr,num expr)
                           Gives a character string consisting of the
                           input character string, repeated the number
                           of times specified by the numeric
                           expression.




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              RIGHT(char expr,length)
                           Gives the rightmost "length" characters from
                           the char expr.

              ROMAN(char expr)
                           Gives the numeric value of the roman
                           numerals from the char expr. Note: this
                           function is specific to PC-File and is not
                           recognized by dBASE.

              ROUND(num expr,decimals)
                           Gives the numeric result of rounding off the
                           num expr to the number of decimal places
                           specified by "decimals".

              RTRIM(char expr)
                           (Same as TRIM) Gives the character string
                           that results after removing all trailing
                           blanks from char expr.

              SOUNDEX(char expr)
                           Gives a string of length 4 containing the
                           soundex value of char expr. Note: This
                           function is specific to PC-File and is not
                           recognized by dBASE.

              SPACE(num expr)
                           Gives a string consisting of the number of
                           blank spaces specified by num expr.

              STR(number,length,decimal)
                           Gives a character string representing the
                           number specified by "number". The length of
                           the string is specified by "length". The
                           number of decimal places is specified by
                           "decimal."

              STUFF(string1,start,length,string2)
                           Gives a string which is created by taking
                           "string1", removing the substring specified
                           by "start" and "length", and replacing that
                           by "string2".

              SUBSTR(string,start,length)
                           Gives the substring (part of a string) of
                           "string" beginning at position "start" and



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                           going for "length" characters.  If no
                           "length" is provided, the substring begins
                           at the "start" position and includes all of
                           the remaining characters from "string."

              TIME()       Gives the character string representation of
                           the current system time.

              TRIM(char expr)
                           (Same as RTRIM) Gives the character string
                           that results after removing all trailing
                           blanks from char expr.

              TYPE(expr)   Gives a single character representing the
                           data type of the expression: (C) for
                           character, (N) for numeric, (L) for logical,
                           (M) for memo, or (U) for undefined. Date
                           expressions are not permitted.

              UPPER(char expr)
                           Gives a string created by converting all the
                           input characters to upper case.

              VAL(char expr)
                           Gives the numeric value of the number
                           represented by char expr.

              YEAR(date expr)
                           Gives a four digit number representing the
                           year from "date expr".


              35.2  SWITCHING TO DIFFERENT INDEX


              Press S to switch to another index. Move your cursor to
              the index that you want to switch to and press (F10). You
              can also switch indexes by pressing (Alt)I at almost any
              point in PC-File.

              When viewing the data, it's presented in the same
              sequence as the current index. Searches are faster when
              an indexed field is included in the search.






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              35.3  DELETING AN EXISTING INDEX


              You may not delete the current active index. If you want
              to delete the active index, you must first make a
              different index active.

              To delete an existing index, press D. Move your cursor to
              the index that you want to delete and press (F10).


              35.4  RENAMING AN EXISTING INDEX


              Press R to rename an existing index. Move your cursor to
              the index that you want to rename and press (F10). Type
              in the new name of the index and press (Enter).


              35.5  EXITING THE INDEX MENU


              To exit the Index menu, press Q.


























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                                     Chapter 36

                               PRINTING MAILING LABELS


              There are several ways to print mailing labels in PC-
              File.  You can use the Mail Label format with the Reports
              command in PC-File, the snapshot mailing label feature
              and PC-Label.

              PC-Label does a very nice job of producing mailing labels
              from any database. Excess spaces and empty lines can
              automatically be removed. Labels can be produced in the
              standard 1-up format, or you can produce them multi-up in
              a side by side format. PC-Label is provided as a stand-
              alone program.

              PC-Label works with all kinds of files, not just PC-File
              databases. It also handles files in pure ASCII formats,
              comma delimited files, PC-Calc+ spreadsheet files, and
              address files created by PC-Type II.


              36.1  RUNNING PC-LABEL


              To start PC-Label, type PCLABEL at the DOS prompt.

              36.1.1  DOS Command Line Commands

              When initially starting PC-Label, you may include the
              following parameters:

              /GREEN       Use this parameter if you have a graphics
                           monitor which does not support color. If you
                           have a standard monochrome screen you do not
                           need to use this parameter.






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              default filespec
                           You can start PC-Label with the full path
                           and file specification for a previously
                           saved default file, so you won't have to
                           specify it once you're in the program.

                           For example, if you type the following at
                           the DOS prompt:

                                PCLABEL  C:\PCFDB\CLIENT.LBL  /GREEN

                           PC-Label will automatically load the file
                           CLIENT.LBL from the PCFDB subdirectory on
                           your C drive. The screen colors will be set
                           to black and white.


              36.2  USING PC-LABEL


              PC-Label starts by showing you the Main Menu, with five
              options:




                         [graphic N:\manual\label1.eps goes

















                      here] 
                           Figure 36.1: PC-Label Main Menu



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              36.2.1  Load Existing Setup

              If you have run PC-Label previously, you may have already
              saved a default file of label information. These files
              contain information about the label definition, label
              size and data that you want printed on your labels. More
              information about LBL files is included later in the
              chapter.

              To recall a previously saved label file, press L.

              PC-Label asks for the path to the file. Enter the drive
              and subdirectory where the label file is stored. For
              example, if your label file is on the C drive in the
              PCFDB directory, type:

                   C:\PCFDB

              PC-Label provides you with a list of all LBL files found.
              Highlight the desired file and press (Enter).

              Alternatively, you may enter the path and file name in
              which case the .LBL file is loaded directly. If only the
              file name is provided, the default directory is assumed.
              If no drive is specified, the default drive is assumed.
              The LBL extension is optional. PC-Label adds it if you
              omit it when specifying the file name.

              36.2.2  Define/Modify Setup

              The "Define/modify setup" option allows you to customize
              PC-Label for your specific application. You can print on
              different sizes of labels; you can print your labels in
              bold, condensed, italic and other typefaces; you can
              print to your printer or to a disk file. In fact, PC-
              Label is flexible enough to do just about any kind of
              label printing.

              To access the "Define/modify setup" option, press D. You
              are given a menu with these options:









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                         [graphic N:\manual\label2.eps goes

















                      here] 
                      Figure 36.2: Define/modify setup options



              Here is an explanation of each menu option:

              36.2.3  Label Source Type

              PC-Label lets you print many types of data. You can print
              any of the following data:

              PC-File 5.0  This format is the PC-File version 5.0/dBASE
                           file format. PC-Label looks for a file with
                           an HDB extension.

              PC-Calc+     This is ButtonWare's spreadsheet program.
                           PC-Calc+ files have a PCC file extension.

              Comma-delimited
                           This format consists of data fields
                           separated by commas, with quote marks
                           usually surrounding each field. The end of
                           each record has a carriage return and an
                           optional line feed.

              ASCII-L      This format consists of fixed length fields
                           with no separators between each field. The



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                           end of each record has a carriage return and
                           sometimes a line feed. This format is the
                           same as the text editor (SDF) format of PC-
                           File.

              ASCII-C      This format consists of one field on each
                           line. Each record is separated by one or
                           more blank lines.

              PC-File+     The PC-File+ format consists of a DTA file,
                           an HDR file and an INX file.

              To choose the type of data that you want to print, press
              (Enter) until your option appears in the box.

              36.2.4  Label Source Location

              PC-Label needs to know where the data is located. Press
              (Enter) on this option, and PC-Label will ask you to
              enter the path (drive and subdirectory) containing the
              database. Do not enter the database name, just the drive
              and subdirectory name.

              If your database is on your C drive in a directory called
              DATA, for example, type:

                   C:\DATA

              and press (Enter). PC-Label provides you with a list of
              all files that are found. Highlight the desired file and
              press (Enter).

              Note: If you select comma-delimited, ASCII-L or ASCII-C,
              you first have to indicate a file extension. For example,
              if your comma-delimited file has the extension WS, you
              would type WS when asked.

              36.2.5  Define Search & Select an Index

              If you select the PC-File 5.0 option (which you will
              normally do) you can print your records using any index
              associated with the database. PC-Label shows a list of
              indexes from which you can choose. The S option,
              database.NDS, is the SORT_SEQ index.





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              Note: If you select any other option, you are not asked
              for the index to use. If you select the PC-Calc+ option,
              you are asked to define the area of the spreadsheet that
              you want to search.

              You can print all records in the data file or a selected
              group of records. PC-Label gives you the following search
              options:




                  [graphic N:\manual\label3.eps goes here] 
                        Figure 36.3: Define Search and Index



              The search capabilities of PC-Label are the same as PC-
              File. However, date calculations are not supported. For
              more information on searching for a specific record,
              refer to Chapter 14, "Finding A Record."

              36.2.6  Output Destination

              The "output destination" allows you to print to either
              the printer or to a file. The default answer is LPT1, the
              first parallel port.

              Printing to a printer
                           For the majority of users, LPT1 is the
                           printer output port. Most dot matrix
                           printers use LPT1.

                           If you need to print to a port other than
                           LPT1, press (Enter). When asked for a file
                           extension, press (Enter). When asked for the
                           path, type the printer port device name and
                           press (Enter). For example, you would type
                           LPT2 to print to the second parallel port.

                           If you want to print to COM1 (the first
                           serial port), be sure you have first
                           initialized your printer by using the DOS
                           MODE command. Please consult your DOS manual
                           for further instructions on this procedure.




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              Printing to a file
                           If you want to print to a file, press
                           (Enter) and type the file extension. Leave
                           this blank if no extension is desired

                           PC-Label prompts you for the path. Type the
                           path name and press (Enter).

                           PC-Label then shows you a list of files.
                           Highlight the file that you want to print
                           to, and press (Enter). Usually you'll choose
                           New File and then give it a file name.

                           Here is an example of printing to disk.
                           Let's say that you want to print to a file
                           called LABELS.TXT in your DATA subdirectory.
                           Press (Enter) on the "Output destination"
                           option. PC-Label asks you to enter the
                           desired file extension. Type TXT and press
                           (Enter).

                           PC-Label then prompts you to enter the path
                           for the output. Type \DATA and press
                           (Enter).

                           You are shown a list of the available files
                           to print to. Select New File.TXT and press
                           (Enter). PC-Label now asks: "Enter the new
                           filename (no extension)". Type LABELS and
                           press (Enter).

              36.2.7  No. of Copies

              You can print up to 99 copies of your labels. Press
              (Enter) at this prompt and PC-Label asks you to type the
              appropriate number.

              36.2.8  Copies Definition

              If you are printing multiple copies of your labels, you
              can print them one of two ways.

              By Group
              If you print by group, PC-Label prints all of the records
              once, then prints the entire group again, repeating until
              the desired number of copies has been printed.



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                   Joe Blow             John Smith           Ronald Jones
                   1234 Main Street     4758 Thurston        999 99th Ave
                   Columbia, MD 21844   Bellevue, WA  98006  La Mesa, CA  92020


                   Joe Blow             John Smith           Ronald Jones
                   1234 Main Street     4758 Thurston        999 99th Ave
                   Columbia, MD 21844   Bellevue, WA  98006  La Mesa, CA  92020


                   Joe Blow             John Smith           Ronald Jones
                   1234 Main Street     4758 Thurston        999 99th Ave
                   Columbia, MD 21844   Bellevue, WA  98006  La Mesa, CA  92020

              By Label
              If you print by label, PC-Label prints the first record
              the desired number of times, then it prints the second
              record, etc.

                   Joe Blow             Joe Blow             Joe Blow
                   1234 Main Street     1234 Main Street     1234 Main Street
                   Columbia, MD 21844   Columbia, MD 21844   Columbia, MD 21844


                   John Smith           John Smith           John Smith
                   4758 Thurston        4758 Thurston        4758 Thurston
                   Bellevue, WA  98006  Bellevue, WA  98006  Bellevue, WA  98006


                   Ronald Jones         Ronald Jones         Ronald Jones
                   999 99th Ave         999 99th Ave         999 99th Ave
                   La Mesa, CA 92020    La Mesa, CA 92020    La Mesa, CA 92020

              36.2.9  Compress Blank Lines

              You can compress the blank lines in a label. For example,
              if you're printing five fields, and one field is empty,
              PC-Label doesn't leave a gaping hole in the label.

              Here are two sample labels. One shows "Compress blank
              lines" set to Yes, the other shows it set to No.

                   Compress Blank Lines YES          Compress Blank Lines NO






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                   John Smith                       John Smith
                   8989 Main St
                   Columbia, MD 21044               8989 Main St
                                                    Columbia, MD 21044


                   Stanley Smith                    Stanley Smith
                   Acme Plumbing                    Acme Plumbing
                   12345 Ronaldo Ave                12345 Ronaldo Ave
                   San Francisco, CA 94177          San Francisco, CA 94177



                                                    Ronald Smith
                   Ronald Smith
                   7878 Hooper                      7878 Hooper
                   Fayetteville, NC 28031           Fayetteville, NC 28031


              Note: When PC-Label removes blank lines, the total number
              of lines spaced per label (data lines plus text lines) is
              consistent.

              36.2.10  Centering

              If you answer Yes to centering, PC-Label centers each
              record vertically and horizontally on the label, based on
              the longest line on the label and the number of lines. If
              you answer No to centering, PC-Label starts each record
              from the same place on the same line.

              36.2.11  Pause If Truncation

              You can ask PC-Label to alert you if a label is too wide
              to fit in the space that you've defined. If you have a
              lot of labels to print, you probably want to set this to
              No.

              36.2.12  Escape Code Toggle

              To toggle the Escape codes ON and OFF, press (Enter). If
              you turn the Escape codes toggle OFF, printer escape
              codes are not sent to the printer or file, even if
              they're defined in your label layout.





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              This feature is ignored unless you use printer escape
              codes in your label layout.

              The escape codes toggle is a useful feature if you are
              printing to disk or to a daisy wheel printer, because it
              allows you to suppress the escape codes in the file.

              36.2.13  Print Escape Code

              Pressing (Enter) on the Print Escape Code option of the
              Define setup menu brings up the following screen:




                         [graphic N:\manual\label8.eps goes













                      here] 
                         Figure 36.4: Print Escape Code Menu



              The first column on the screen is the escape code that
              turns the print feature ON. For example, if you want the
              first line of your label to print BOLD, use the first
              code in the first column to turn the feature on.

              The second column on the screen is the description of the
              escape code. For example, the first column of the third
              line of the screen shows {27}G. The description tells us
              that this will cause the printer to print bold type (for
              IBM/Epson printers).





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              The third column on the screen is the escape code that
              turns the print feature OFF. For example, if you want
              just the first line of your label to print bold, but the
              rest of the label to print regular, you use the first
              code in the third column to turn the feature off at the
              end of the first line.

              The setup code field allows you to initialize your
              printer in a specific way. The escape codes entered in
              this field are sent to the printer at the beginning. For
              example, if you wanted all printing to be done in
              italics, you could place the italics escape code in the
              setup code field. You would not have to define any escape
              codes in your label setup.

              Note: You should not change print sizes within the label
              when printing multi-up labels. For example, you should
              not print the first line condensed and all remaining
              lines at 10 characters per inch.

              Editing the Escape Codes
              The default printer codes are for Epson dot matrix
              printers. You can edit all three of these columns. Move
              to the column that you wish to edit and press (Enter). If
              you are editing an escape code, the following screen
              appears:























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                         [graphic N:\manual\label9.eps goes

















                      here] 
                        Figure 36.5: Editing the Escape Codes



              Enter the new escape code by holding down (Alt) and
              typing the number with the numeric keypad. Or, you can
              place the ASCII decimal value in the brackets { }.

              Refer to your printer manual for the correct printer
              escape codes for your printer.

              36.2.14  Label Sheet Definition

              When you press (Enter) on the Label Sheet Definition
              option, you see this screen:















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                         [graphic N:\manual\label10.eps goes

















                      here] 
                         Figure 36.6: Label Sheet Definition



              PC-Label offers many preformatted options. The most
              common choice is 3 1/2 x 15/16 (1-up) which is a one inch
              label.

              If your label size is not included in the list, you need
              to select the user-defined option.

              When you select the user-defined option, you see this
              screen:

















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                         [graphic N:\manual\label11.eps goes

















                      here] 
                        Figure 36.7: User-Defined Label Size



              Here are descriptions of each option:

              A is asking how many labels you want printed across your
              label sheet (minimum is 1, maximum is 20).

              B is asking for the number of characters from the left
              edge of one label to the left edge of the next label.

              C is asking how many characters wide your label is. This
              is usually one less than option B, the number of
              characters from the left edge of one label to left edge
              of another.

              D is asking the number of lines from the top of one label
              to the top of the next label.

              E is asking the number labels down one label sheet.

              F is asking the number of lines that fit on one label.
              This is usually one less than option E, the number of
              lines from the top of one label to the top of the next
              label.




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              G allows you to make a printout to help you figure out
              the size of your labels.

              H is asking for the number of lines at the top of the
              sheet, which provides a top margin. This option is only
              effective when printing by sheet, and is ignored with
              continuous labels.

              Note: If you select a standard label size which
              approximates your label size (from the Label Sheet Layout
              menu) before selecting the user-defined option, the
              values for that selection are in the above fields when
              you begin.

              36.2.15  Feed Method

              There are two types of printer form feed methods:
              Continuous or By Sheet. Press (Enter) to toggle between
              the two. "By Sheet" is required on printers with sheet
              feeders and sometimes when using laser printers,
              depending on what type of label sheet you are using.

              36.2.16  Formfeed

              PC-Label can form feed your labels for you. This is a
              handy feature, particularly if you have a sheet feeder.
              You can tell PC-Label to either form feed at the end of
              each sheet or at the end of each set. This option only
              has an effect if the Feed Method option is set to "By
              Sheet".

              36.2.17  Label Layout

              The Label Layout option is where you define which fields
              to print on the label and how to format those fields.
              Pressing (Enter) on the Label layout option brings up
              this screen:












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              PRINTING MAILING LABELS
              _________________________________________________________



                         [graphic N:\manual\label13.eps goes

















                      here] 
                          Figure 36.8: Label Layout Screen



              The window in the center of the screen is an editor in
              which to define how you want your label to look. The size
              of the editor varies depending on the label size you
              specified in the "Label Sheet Definition" option.

              To define your label format, place field numbers and text
              where you want them to appear on the printed label. Each
              field number or text entry must be immediately preceded
              by either the @ or ? character. All other entries are
              ignored.

              Here are the commands you can use when defining your
              label layout:

              field number (1-128)
                           Place the field number listed at the top of
                           the screen in the label window where you
                           want the field data to print on the label.
                           Remember to precede the field number with
                           the @ or ? character. Your fields are
                           numbered and listed at the top of the
                           screen. In the example above, fields 16-19
                           refer to data not included in the database.



              304                                               PC-File

                                                PRINTING MAILING LABELS
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                           Since the number of fields in different data
                           sources are different, the field numbers
                           corresponding to these "special fields" are
                           different.

              Text         Enter the text preceded by @ or ? on the
                           screen where you want that text to be
                           located on the label. This includes spaces.
                           You must specify that a space is to exist
                           between two fields.

              @            Precede a field number or text with an @ to
                           cause the data to be fixed in a specific
                           location on the label. Substituted data is
                           placed at the @ marker, not where the field
                           number is located.

              ?            Precede a field number of text with ? to
                           allow the data to slide to the left until it
                           encounters other data, the left margin of
                           the label defined by the " [ " symbol, or
                           the left edge of the label.  The ? causes
                           PC-Label to remove trailing spaces of a
                           field, when you print multiple fields on a
                           line.

              [ ]          Place these two brackets to define the
                           limits of the label.  Data within the
                           brackets is centered and blank lines are
                           compressed. Entries may be made outside the
                           brackets, but they will not be centered or
                           compressed. If you set the "Centering"
                           option to Yes, the entire label is centered
                           if the brackets are not used.

              < >          Use these markers to define a print marker
                           in the label layout.  Enclose one of the
                           print marker numbers displayed at the bottom
                           of the screen inside the brackets. The
                           brackets should
                           follow the @ or ? markers.  The following
                           example will turn bold on before printing
                           the data in COUNTRY (the ninth field), and
                           turn bold off after printing the data in
                           COUNTRY field.




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              PRINTING MAILING LABELS
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                                @<1>9<2>

                           The escape codes referenced at the bottom of
                           the screen reflect the names you defined in
                           the Printer Escape code window. No more than
                           16 escape markers can be used in a label
                           definition, and a maximum of one ON and one
                           OFF marker can be used for a single field or
                           text entry.

              *Recno       Place the number that represents *Recno in
                           your label format to print the record number
                           of the current record, based on the current
                           index.

              *Date        Place the number that represents *Date in
                           your label format to print the current
                           system date on your label.

              *Time        Place the number that represents *Time in
                           your label format to print the current
                           system time on your label.

              *Keyin       Place the number that represents *Keyin in
                           your label format to cause PC-Label to pause
                           when printing, enabling you to enter data
                           from the keyboard. After typing the
                           appropriate data, press (Enter) to continue
                           printing.

                           You must define the size of the *Keyin field
                           by repeating non-blank characters after the
                           *Keyin field number. The size is determined
                           by the number of characters beginning at the
                           leading marker and ending at the last
                           repeated character.  The following example
                           sets the *Keyin field size to 8, so that you
                           can enter up to eight characters when PC-
                           Label stops to accept data.

                                @15.....

              Here is a sample label layout:






              306                                               PC-File

                                                PRINTING MAILING LABELS
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                         [graphic N:\manual\label12.eps goes

















                      here] 
                          Figure 36.9: Sample Label Layout



              Notice that each field is preceded by a ? or @. Also
              notice that the comma and space between the city and
              state field, and the spaces between state and zip are
              preceded by a ?. Again the ? before a field causes PC-
              Label to move the data to the left immediately following
              the last character printed.

              As an example, using the information from the layout
              screen depicted earlier, most label layouts look like:

                   ?1
                   ?4
                   ?5
                   ?6?, ?7? ?8


              This would produce a label like:

                   Jim Button
                   ButtonWare, Inc.
                   P.O. Box 96058
                   Bellevue, WA  98009-4469




                                                                    307

              PRINTING MAILING LABELS
              _________________________________________________________



              Here is a more advanced example:

                   @<1>ButtonWare, Inc.<2>                 @15.........
                   @P.O. Box 96058
                   @Bellevue, WA 98009

                             @To:

                                      [?<1>4<2>
                                      ?5
                                      ?6?, ?7?, ?8
                                      ?9              ]

              The result of this example is shown below.

                   ButtonWare, Inc.
                                                            PC-Type
                   P.O. Box 96058
                   Bellevue, WA 98009

                             To:

                                      Seattle User Group
                                      14413 West Addison
                                      Seattle, WA 98004
                                      USA

              36.2.18  Workspace Drive

              Workspace must be available on a disk when processing
              labels. Indicate the drive where temporary space is
              available. 8 bytes of information per label must be
              available.

              Note: The temporary file is removed from your disk when
              PC-Label has finished processing.


              36.3  PRINT LABELS


              To print your labels, place your cursor on the Print
              Labels option of the PC-Label Main Menu and press
              (Enter). PC-Label will prompt you:

                   "Position label sheet in printer? Press Y or N"



              308                                               PC-File

                                                PRINTING MAILING LABELS
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              If you answer Y, PC-Label goes through a series of
              screens that prompt you to position your sheet in the
              printer.

              A row of numbers will print across your top label. Type
              the number that printed at the left edge of the label and
              press (Enter). Make any necessary adjustments.

              PC-Label will ask you: "Do you want to align labels
              again? Press Y or N."

              Make sure your printer is turned on. Then, when you're
              ready, press a key and PC-Label will skip to the next
              label.

              PC-Label displays the first label to print, then asks:

                   "Write this label? Press (Y)es (N)o, or (X)= Yes &
              don't ask"

              Answer appropriately. If you press (Esc), you are offered
              three choices:

                   Abort - to abort the printing process (to return to
              the main menu)
                   Backup - to backup to the previous label
                   Continue - continue the printing process

              When PC-Label has finished processing your labels, you
              receive a message that indicates the number of records
              selected, requested and processed.


              36.4  SAVE CURRENT SETUP


              To save your current label setup, highlight the Save
              Current Setup option of the PC-Label Main Menu and press
              (Enter).

              PC-Label prompts you for the path (drive and
              subdirectory) where you want the file to be stored. Type
              the path and press (Enter). DO NOT include the file name
              in the path.





                                                                    309

              PRINTING MAILING LABELS
              _________________________________________________________



              PC-Label shows a screen containing your LBL files. Select
              New File.LBL and press (Enter). PC-Label then prompts you
              for the new file name.


              36.5  QUIT/EXIT PC-LABEL


              To exit PC-Label, highlight the Quit/Exit PC-Label option
              of the PC-Label Main Menu and press (Enter).







































              310                                               PC-File

                                              MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
              _________________________________________________________









                              MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION










































                                                                    311

              MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
              _________________________________________________________




















































              312                                               PC-File

                                             USING PC-FILE ON A NETWORK
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 37

                             USING PC-FILE ON A NETWORK


              If you have the multi-user version of PC-File, it can be
              used on a variety of different networks. When running on
              a network, multiple users can access the same database at
              the same time. When used by multiple users, PC-File
              automatically handles record locking and file sharing for
              you.

              When using PC-File on a network, you must follow these
              guidelines:

                 1.  You must be using DOS 3.1 or higher.

                 2.  Make sure PCF.EXE is flagged as a shareable file.
                     On a Novell network, you would type:

                          FLAG PCF.EXE S

                     Consult your network software manual for specific
                     instructions for your network. Note: This step is
                     not necessary on some networks.

                 3.  Make sure each user has sufficient "rights" in the
                     subdirectory which contains the database(s). Users
                     must have at least Read, Write, Open and Create
                     rights. On the Novell network, use the RIGHTS
                     command to verify and change a user's rights.
                     Consult your network software manual for specific
                     instructions for your network.

                 4.  All data files (.HDB, .DBF, .DBT, .NDX, .NDS) must
                     be flagged as shareable, read/write. To make all
                     files in the current subdirectory shareable,
                     read/write on a Novell network, you would type:

                          FLAG *.* SRW



                                                                    313

              USING PC-FILE ON A NETWORK
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                     Consult your network software manual for specific
                     instructions for your network. Note: This step is
                     not necessary on some networks.

                 5.  Each database which will be used by multiple users
                     at one time must have a profile that includes the
                     /LAN parameter. You must edit the database.PRO
                     file using a text editor (such as EDLIN or PC-
                     Type) to insert the /LAN parameter. The
                     database.PRO file must be on the same drive and
                     subdirectory as the other database files. You
                     should not include /LAN in the PCFILE.PRO file.
                     Note: We recommend that you include a blank line
                     at the end of the database profile, when you edit
                     the file to include /LAN. This will ensure that
                     all parameters in the profile will be used.

                 6.  You may need to run the DOS SHARE command. Some
                     networks, such as Novell, don't require you to run
                     SHARE. If you're not sure whether or not you
                     should run SHARE, go ahead--it won't hurt
                     anything.

                 7.  In order to start PC-File from a drive and
                     subdirectory other than the drive and subdirectory
                     containing PCF.EXE, you must set the correct path
                     or map to PCF.EXE. Using Novell Netware software,
                     use the MAP command. Please refer to your network
                     software manual for more information on setting
                     the correct path or map.

                 8.  When using Novell Netware software, you will need
                     to use the SMODE command if you want to start PC-
                     File from a drive and subdirectory other than the
                     drive and subdirectory containing PCF.EXE. The
                     SMODE command allows you to specify the "search
                     mode" for PCF.EXE. To specify the correct search
                     mode for PCF.EXE, type:

                          SMODE PCF.EXE 5

                     If you receive a message like "Please insert disk
                     containing PCF.EXE in drive X", you must run the
                     SMODE command. Other networks may have similar
                     requirements. Consult your network software manual
                     for more information.



              314                                               PC-File

                                             USING PC-FILE ON A NETWORK
              _________________________________________________________



                 9.  PC-File creates some temporary files using names
                     like DELETE.ME and GRAPH.ME. Since these names are
                     always the same, two users attempting to perform
                     the same operation at the same time may conflict.
                     Because of this, we recommend that only one person
                     perform each of the following operations at a
                     time:

                     Printing reports
                     Graphing
                     Sorting
                     Printing merge letters





































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              316                                               PC-File

                                               BACKING UP YOUR DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 38

                              BACKING UP YOUR DATABASE


              We recommend backing up your database frequently. It
              doesn't take much time to backup at the end of EACH day.
              If your data is very important to you, you should keep
              several generations of your backup on hand. You may want
              to keep a different set of backup disks for each day of
              the week.

              There are several methods that can be used to make backup
              copies.


              38.1  USING THE DOS COPY COMMAND


              If your database is small enough to fit on a single
              diskette, you can use the DOS COPY command. The DOS
              manual explains this command in greater detail. Here's an
              example using a database called MYDATA in the \PCFDB
              directory on the C drive.

                   COPY  C:\PCFDB\MYDATA.*  A:


              38.2  USING THE DOS BACKUP COMMAND


              If your database is on a hard disk and is too large to
              fit on a single diskette, you can use the DOS BACKUP
              command. This will allow you to copy the entire database
              onto several floppy disks. Later, you'll be able to
              restore your database back onto the hard disk using the
              DOS RESTORE command. These commands are explained in the
              DOS manual. Here's an example using the BACKUP command on
              a database called MYDATA in a directory called PCFDB on
              the C drive:



                                                                    317

              BACKING UP YOUR DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                   BACKUP  C:\PCFDB\MYDATA.*  A:

              Note: If you backup using DOS BACKUP, you MUST use the
              RESTORE command if you need to use the backup copy. You
              cannot use the DOS COPY command to restore a database
              which was backed up using BACKUP.


              38.3  USING PC-FILE'S COPY FEATURE


              To make backup copies of a database from within PC-File
              you need to go from the Master Menu to the Utilities
              menu. You do this by pressing (F8) or typing U while
              viewing the Master Menu.

              Select option M, "Maintenance - Copy, Delete or Rename a
              PC-File file." When asked "Copy, Delete, or Rename?",
              type C. You are then asked which type of file you wish to
              copy. Answer D, for database. You are asked for the
              drive, path and name of the database to copy, and the
              drive, path and name to copy to. You must backup your
              database to a different disk drive or subdirectory. When
              copying to a floppy disk, the path should usually be
              blank.

              Note: If copying to a floppy, the database files must fit
              on one floppy. If your database will not fit on a floppy
              diskette, you must use the DOS BACKUP command.

              Making backup copies this way will not be as fast as
              using the DOS commands, but it does allow you to make
              your backup copies without exiting PC-File.


              38.4  USING A SPECIAL BACKUP PROGRAM


              If you have a program specifically designed to backup
              your hard disk, it can backup your databases. Programs
              like Fastback, or tape backup software are excellent for
              backing up databases. Consult the documentation that came
              with the backup program for instructions.






              318                                               PC-File

                                                   PACKING THE DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 39

                                PACKING THE DATABASE


              PC-File has a standalone program called PCPACK. PCPACK
              allows you to get rid of excess space in your database.


              39.1  WHY PACK


              The dBASE III PLUS file format may make it necessary at
              times to pack the database. Deleted records occupy space
              in the database. Even though PC-File reuses space
              occupied by deleted records when new records are added,
              you may have a database with a large number of record
              deletions. If you will not be adding a large number of
              new records, you might want to pack the database so that
              the deleted records are removed.

              In addition, when the size of a memo is increased, the
              modified memo is written to a new spot in the memo file.
              The old memo is simply skipped over and the space it
              occupies isn't reused. The only way to clean up memo
              files and reclaim wasted space is to pack the database.

              Note: If you have more additions to the database than
              deletions, and don't use memo fields, you may never need
              to pack the database.


              39.2  HOW TO PACK


              Here's how to use PCPACK:

                 1.  Make a backup copy of your database before you
                     pack it.




                                                                    319

              PACKING THE DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                 2.  Make certain that there is enough room on your
                     hard disk to complete the packing operation. The
                     amount of empty space required is the size of
                     filename.DBF, plus the size of all fieldname.NDX
                     files, plus the size of filename.DBT (if there is
                     one).

                     Of course, if you have a lot of deleted space in
                     the database, somewhat less than this amount of
                     empty space may be required. But since you don't
                     know the exact amount of deleted space, the above
                     calculation gives you a "safe" estimate of the
                     amount of space required.

                 3.  Quit whatever program you are running, and get the
                     DOS prompt on your screen. DO NOT drop to DOS from
                     within PC-File to run PCPACK.

                 4.  Change directories to the PC-File subdirectory by
                     typing:

                          CD  \PCFDB

                 5.  Start the PCPACK program by typing:

                          PCPACK

                 6.  You are asked for the filespec (drive,
                     subdirectory and file name) of the database to be
                     packed.

                 7.  Then, you are asked for the filespec (drive,
                     subdirectory name and file name) for the new
                     (packed) database. This question is asked because
                     PCPACK takes a conservative approach to packing;
                     it makes an entirely new database, rather than
                     packing the existing database in place. The new
                     database must have a different name if it is
                     placed in the same subdirectory with the existing
                     database. If you are packing to a different
                     subdirectory, you can use the same name.

                 8.  Now the packing operation proceeds. You can watch
                     the status report to get a feeling for how long
                     the packing operation will take.




              320                                               PC-File

                                                   PACKING THE DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                 9.  After the packing operation is complete, bring up
                     PC-File. To save time, PCPACK doesn't create
                     indexes. Therefore, PC-File prompts you to rebuild
                     your indexes. After the indexes are built. Browse
                     through the database to make sure that everything
                     looks normal. Take a close look at the first and
                     last record. Does the record count shown on the
                     Master Menu look correct?

                10.  If everything appears to be correct, you can now
                     delete the old (unpacked) database.


              39.3  HOW PACKING WORKS


              Here's a more detailed account of the proceedings:

                 1.  PCPACK copies filename.HDB, filename.PRO and
                     filename.KEY.

                 2.  PCPACK creates an empty filename.DBF. It reads the
                     records from the old filename.DBF and writes them
                     into the new filename.DBF. PCPACK omits any
                     deleted records that it finds.

                 3.  PCPACK creates a new filename.DBT (memo file) if
                     required. It selectively copies only the current
                     memos into the new memo file.

              Note: The larger your database, the longer it takes
              PCPACK to pack. If you have a large file with more than
              20,000 records, PCPACK will probably take several hours
              or more to pack your database.















                                                                    321

              PACKING THE DATABASE
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              322                                               PC-File

                                 A PRINTED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 40

                       A PRINTED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR DATABASE


              There is a utility program included with PC-File which
              gives a printed description of your database. It's a good
              idea to print one of these reports for each of your
              databases. You can file the report for future reference.
              You may want to refer to it later, for example, just
              before you get ready to clone the database, or to create
              a new database with similar features.

              The program is called DBRPT. Here's how to run it:

                 1.  Quit whatever program you are running, and get
                     back to the DOS prompt on your screen.

                 2.  Change directories to the PC-File subdirectory by
                     typing:

                          CD  \PCFDB

                 3.  If you're printing the report to your printer, put
                     some paper in your printer and make the printer
                     "ready".

                 4.  Start the DBRPT program by typing:

                          DBRPT

                 5.  Enter the filespec (path and name) of the database
                     to use. You don't need to include a file
                     extension. For example:

                          C:\PCFDB\MYFILE

                 6.  DBRPT asks if you want to print to the printer or
                     screen. Answer appropriately.




                                                                    323

              A PRINTED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR DATABASE
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              Here's a sample of the report DBRPT produces. This was
              created by running DBRPT for the PEOPLE sample database.



                               PC-File DATABASE DESCRIPTION

                   Printed  Fri Sep 08 10:37:32 1989

                   Database:    PEOPLE
                   Description: Contacts    (names and addresses) information

                   FIELD NAME   TYPE   LENGTH    DEC   INDEX   ROW  COLUMN  WINDOW
                   ----------   ----   ------    ---   -----   ---  ------  ------
                   LAST_FIRST     C      25              A      4     14
                   SALUTATION     C      12                     5     14
                   TITLE          C      25                     6     14
                   COMPANY        C      30                     8     14
                   ADDRESS        C      30                     9     14
                   CITY           C      18                    10     14
                       Mask :AZ  az..--,,'':
                   STATE          C       5                    11     14
                       Mask :AZ az..:
                   ZIPCODE        C      10                    12     14
                       Mask :09 AZ--:
                   COUNTRY        C      15                    13     14
                       Mask :AZ az..:
                   BUSN_PHONE     C      17                    15     14
                       Mask :09 AZaz--))((:
                   HOME_PHONE     C      17                    15     48
                   KEYWORDS       C      65                    18     14
                   COMMENTS       M      5000                  19     14    65
                   :........:........:........:........:........:.......:........:

                   LAST~FIRST
                   SALUTATION

                   TITLE
                   COMPANY
                   ADDRESS
                   CITY
                   STATE               ZIPCODE
                   COUNTRY

                   BUS.PHONE                     HOME PHONE




              324                                               PC-File

                                 A PRINTED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR DATABASE
              _________________________________________________________



                   KEYWORKS

                   COMMENTS

                   :........:........:........:........:........:........:........:

              Here's a description of each of the column headings:

              FIELD NAME   The name of a field in your database.

              TYPE         The field type: C for Character, N for
                           Numeric, D for Date, L for Logical, M for
                           Memo field.

              LENGTH       The data length of the field.

              DEC          If the field is Numeric, this is the number
                           of positions to the right of the decimal
                           point.

              INDEX        If there is an index for this field, an A
                           appears here for Ascending indexes, a D for
                           descending, or a U for User defined indexes.

              ROW          This is the screen row number where the
                           field is displayed.

              COLUMN       This is the screen column number where the
                           field is displayed.

              WINDOW       If the field is a window field, this is the
                           size of the window to use for the screen
                           display.

              If the field has an associated edit mask, constant or
              calculation, it is shown below the field name. The
              picture of the data entry screen(s) is shown at the end
              of the report.











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              326                                               PC-File

                                          IF YOUR DATABASE GETS DAMAGED
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 41

                            IF YOUR DATABASE GETS DAMAGED


              PC-File takes many precautions to insure that you don't
              accidentally damage your database. However, accidents do
              happen. Diskettes are a notoriously unreliable medium for
              the storage of information. Sectors sometimes go bad on
              the disks. Read/write heads in the disk drives get dirty
              and out of alignment.

              If something unforeseen happens to your database, follow
              the steps listed below. The database can probably be
              recovered.

                 1.  Make an additional backup copy of your database.
                     Don't erase or overwrite any existing backups.
                     This way, you can at least get back to this point
                     in case something else goes wrong.

                 2.  Run the DOS  CHKDSK  /F command on your data disk.
                     If any errors are reported, follow the
                     instructions in your DOS manual for fixing the
                     errors. Until the errors are corrected, you should
                     not use your database or proceed with the
                     following steps.

                 3.  Check to see that you have some empty space on the
                     data disk (the DOS CHKDSK program will tell you
                     this). If the disk is full, you must free up some
                     space by deleting any files on the disk that are
                     not needed, or by moving some files off of the
                     data disk onto another disk.

                 4.  Rebuild all indexes for the database.

                 5.  If the problem still exists, run PCFIX which was
                     distributed with PC-File. This program can repair
                     some types of database damage.



                                                                    327

              IF YOUR DATABASE GETS DAMAGED
              _________________________________________________________



                 6.  There are several programs on the market which can
                     salvage damaged dBASE III format database files.
                     Examples include "dBASE File Recovery" by Ashton-
                     Tate; "dSALVAGE" by Comtech Publishing; or "dBFIX"
                     included in Mace Utilities.

                 7.  If the above steps don't solve the problem, you
                     should make a copy of one of your backup copies of
                     the database and restore the database from this
                     copy.

              To help minimize the chances of damaging a database in
              the future, we offer the following suggestions:

                    Always keep one or more backup copies of your
                     database. If you ever need to use the backup copy,
                     DON'T. Make a copy of the backup copy, and use
                     that. Please see "Backing Up Your Database" for
                     more information.

                    Don't turn off your computer while you are still
                     inside a program. Exit the program and go to the
                     DOS prompt before turning the computer off.

                    Never change diskettes while running PC-File
                     unless you're prompted to do so by a message on
                     the screen.

                    Never open the latch on your diskette drive until
                     after the red light on the disk drive goes out.

                    Before you run PC-File enter this DOS command:
                     VERIFY  ON

                     This causes DOS to verify every time it writes to
                     disk that the data just written can be read. The
                     time it takes to perform this operation slows the
                     system down somewhat.

                    If it's been a year or more since you've cleaned
                     the heads in your diskette drives, buy a good
                     quality head cleaning kit and clean the heads.

                    Obtain a power line filter for your PC to protect
                     it from voltage surges. It's relatively cheap
                     protection for an expensive machine.



              328                                               PC-File

                                          IF YOUR DATABASE GETS DAMAGED
              _________________________________________________________



                    Make certain that your power cord is plugged into
                     a well grounded wall outlet. If the wall outlet
                     isn't properly grounded, you'll have unreliable
                     operation. And even if your wall outlet is well
                     grounded, make sure you plug into it with a
                     three-prong power plug. Never use a two-prong
                     adapter plug on your three-prong power cord.

                    If your computer work station is on a carpeted
                     floor, static electricity can cause problems.
                     Investigate the following:

                         -  Remove the carpets, or relocate the
                            computer work station.
                         -  Buy antistatic spray for the carpets.
                         -  Provide a grounding pad for placement at
                            the keyboard.

                    Handle your diskettes carefully. Do not bend the
                     diskettes, place the diskettes near a magnetic
                     source or touch the diskette openings.




























                                                                    329

              IF YOUR DATABASE GETS DAMAGED
              _________________________________________________________




















































              330                                               PC-File

                                                            USING PCFIX
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 42

                                     USING PCFIX


              PCFIX can repair some types of damage to databases.

              If for any reason you are unable to access your database,
              or if the data appears to be incorrect or scrambled, you
              may be able to correct it by running PCFIX.


              42.1  HOW TO RUN PCFIX


              Before using PCFIX, we strongly recommend you use the
              DOS CHKDSK /F command to correct any logical errors on
              your data disk. Refer to your DOS manual for more
              information on the CHKDSK command.

              Likewise, you should make a backup copy of your database
              before proceeding.

              To run PCFIX, type PCFIX at the DOS prompt. When
              prompted, enter the filespec (path and name) of the
              database to be fixed. For example:

                   C:\PCFDB\PEOPLE

              PCFIX checks the header file (filename.HDB) for
              information about the database. After that, it creates a
              new control area for the dBASE filename.DBF file.

              Then it asks if you want to clean up bad data within the
              file. If you answer Y, it looks at every record in the
              database and replaces every invalid character (any
              character with an ASCII value less than 32) with a space.






                                                                    331

              USING PCFIX
              _________________________________________________________



              42.2  REBUILDING INDEXES


              After running PCFIX, it's a good idea to rebuild the
              indexes for your database. This is because the index may
              have been damaged, rather than the data itself. This type
              of damage usually shows up as "Not found" messages when
              searching (even though you know that the record is
              there), or when browsing through the database only a
              small percentage of the records are displayed.

              To rebuild the indexes, bring up PC-File in the usual
              manner to access your database. Then, from the Master
              Menu, select U for Utilities. From the Utilities menu,
              select X for index operations. Now, select M for Make a
              new index. You can make a new index for any of the fields
              in the database (except memo fields). Usually, you should
              make a new index to replace each of the existing indexes
              shown with an * beside the field name.






























              332                                               PC-File

                                                    SPEEDING UP PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 43

                                 SPEEDING UP PC-FILE


              Here are some suggestions to increase the performance of
              PC-File.

                    Install a disk caching program, such as Lightning
                     or Flash.

                    Use the FASTVIEW option in your profiles. FASTVIEW
                     often speeds up writing to the screen. However,
                     some screens may experience snow.

                    If possible, be sure that an index exists for the
                     fields that you search frequently.

                    Place the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file
                     or on your boot disk:

                          BUFFERS=20

                    Install an 8087, 80287 or 80387 numeric
                     coprocessor chip. This chip, when detected by PC-
                     File, will be used for floating point
                     calculations. The amount of increased speed you
                     experience will depend on how much arithmetic you
                     are doing in the database.

                    If using relational lookups, make sure the lookup
                     field is indexed in the lookup database.

                    If you perform more than one lookup to the same
                     database, use the
                     (@*,LOOKUP FIELD) command.

                    Over time, hard disks become fragmented which
                     slows down access time. Programs such as Mace




                                                                    333

              SPEEDING UP PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________



                     Utilities and Norton Utilities can defragment your
                     hard disk files.















































              334                                               PC-File

                                                   PC-CALC+ AND PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 44

                                PC-CALC+ AND PC-FILE


              The information presented in this section should not be
              confused with importing or exporting files, which has
              already been covered in this manual. While it's true that
              you can exchange data between PC-File and PC-Calc+, PC-
              Calc+ version 2.0 or later has the ability to go in and
              directly use information contained in a PC-File database.

              While you are using a PC-Calc+ spreadsheet, you can get
              data from any number of PC-File database fields using the
              /Import command. Data in PC-File fields can be retrieved
              directly into spreadsheet cells. For details on how to do
              this you will need to read your PC-Calc+ manual. This
              information is presented here because it points out
              additional capabilities you have with PC-File when
              combined with PC-Calc+.























                                                                    335

              PC-CALC+ AND PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________




















































              336                                               PC-File

                                                 PC-TYPE II AND PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Chapter 45

                               PC-TYPE II AND PC-FILE


              PC-Type II can directly pull information from your PC-
              File database files and fields.

              Data in PC-File fields can be retrieved directly into any
              part of your PC-Type II document using the Import
              command. This is very handy, for example, when writing a
              letter. When you get ready to do the address lines, you
              can have PC-Type II retrieve all of the necessary
              information directly from your address database and place
              it in your letter. The mail merge feature in PC-Type II
              can also retrieve data from your PC-File database files.
              PC-Type II can even do the same types of powerful
              searches that PC-File can!

              Refer to your PC-Type II manual for information on
              retrieving PC-File data into PC-Type II. This information
              is presented here because it points out additional
              capabilities you have with PC-File when combined with
              PC-Type II.



















                                                                    337

              PC-TYPE II AND PC-FILE
              _________________________________________________________




















































              338                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Appendix A

                                   ERROR MESSAGES


              The following list of messages may help you determine an
              appropriate action when you receive an error message. The
              messages are listed in alphabetical order.

              ?????        Question marks printed in a report or letter
                           indicate that you spelled the field name
                           incorrectly in the report or letter.

              Bad read in DBF
                           PC-File has encountered an error reading the
                           data file when building an index. This
                           usually indicates a hardware error, or a
                           disk error.

              ?BAD ANSKEY  The lookup data in a relational calculation
                           is not a valid field in the lookup database.
                           The lookup data is the field in lookup
                           database containing the value to return.

              ?BAD DB      The lookup database specified in a
                           relational calculation is not a valid PC-
                           File database.

              ?BAD DB ID   PC-File had problems opening the lookup
                           database specified in a relational
                           calculation. Make sure the database name is
                           spelled properly and exists on the specified
                           drive and subdirectory.

              ?BAD DBKEY   The lookup field in a relational calculation
                           is not a valid field in the lookup database.
                           The lookup field is the field in the lookup
                           database containing the lookup value.





                                                                    339

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



              ?BAD KEY1    The related field in a relational
                           calculation is not a valid field in the
                           current database. The related field is the
                           field in the current database containing the
                           value to lookup

              ?BAD USAGE   An improperly entered relational lookup will
                           cause this message to appear. Relational
                           lookups must be in the form:

                           (@related field, lookup database, lookup
                           field, field to return)

              ?CANCELED    The relational lookup operation was canceled
                           by operator.

              Cannot load overlay, too many open files
                           You have not allowed for enough files in
                           DOS. You need to increase the number of
                           files allowed, by changing your CONFIG.SYS
                           file. Please refer to Chapter 2, "Installing
                           PC-File" for more information.

              Can't add ...
                           PC-File has encountered an error writing to
                           a file. This usually indicates a hardware
                           error, or a disk error.

              Can't chain to ...
                           PC-File was unable to run an external
                           program. This usually refers to the graphics
                           module PCG2.EXE. Make sure the needed file
                           is on the current drive and directory, or in
                           a directory included in the DOS PATH
                           command.

              Can't change NDX entry
                           PC-File has encountered an error writing to
                           an index file.  This usually indicates that
                           one or more of your indexes is damaged.
                           Rebuild all the indexes in the database
                           using the Utilities, Index Operations, Make
                           command. It could also indicate a hardware
                           error, or a disk error.





              340                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



              Can't create ...
                           PC-File has encountered an error when
                           creating a new file.  (The file type is
                           included in the message.) This may indicate
                           that the disk is full, that there are too
                           many files on the disk, or that there is a
                           hardware or disk error.

              Can't delete old NDX
                           When re-building an index file, PC-File will
                           display this message when the existing index
                           file cannot be deleted. It could also
                           indicate a disk error or that the index file
                           is read-only.

              Can't delete NDX entry
                           PC-File has encountered an error when
                           writing to the index file after you deleted
                           a record. This usually indicates that one or
                           more of your indexes is damaged. This could
                           also indicate a hardware error, or a disk
                           error.

              Can't get memo
                           PC-File has encountered an error reading the
                           memo file. This usually indicates a hardware
                           error, or a disk error, but can also
                           indicate the memo file is locked.

              Can't lock NDX
                           This message occurs when PC-File is unable
                           to lock the index file when building a new
                           index, while running on a network. Try the
                           operation again. If the message persists,
                           contact your network administrator.

              Can't index the memo field
                           You cannot index memo fields. Select a non-
                           memo field as the field to index.

              Can't open ...
                           The file named in the message cannot be
                           opened for processing. There could be
                           several reasons for this:





                                                                    341

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



                                 The file could not be found, because
                                  you gave the wrong name for it.

                                 The file could not be found, because
                                  you specified the wrong disk drive or
                                  subdirectory.

                                 The file exists, but is in use by
                                  someone else on your system.

                                 You are having disk hardware errors.

                                 The FILES= parameter in your
                                  CONFIG.SYS file is too small.
                                  Increase it to 20 or more.

                                 The file may have been damaged in
                                  some way. Refer to Chapter 41, "If
                                  Your Database Gets Damaged".

              Can't rename NDX
                           When you renamed a field which had an index,
                           PC-File could not rename the index file.
                           This message could indicate that the
                           original index file no longer exists, or
                           that another file already exists with the
                           new name.

              Can't run DOS (nn)
                           You've tried to run a DOS command from
                           within PC-File and the DOS command cannot be
                           processed. The number inside the parentheses
                           (shown above as nn) gives the reason:

                           2         COMMAND.COM cannot be found on the
                                     disk.

                           7         The space required for the
                                     environment information exceeds
                                     32K.

                           8         COMMAND.COM has an invalid format
                                     and is not executable.

                           12        Not enough RAM is available to
                                     execute the command; or the



              342                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



                                     available memory has been
                                     corrupted.

              Can't update DBF
                           PC-File has encountered an error writing to
                           the data file. This usually indicates a
                           hardware error, or a disk error.

              Can't write memo
                           PC-File has encountered an error writing to
                           the memo file.  This usually indicates a
                           hardware error, or a disk error.

              Couldn't delete DBF rcd
                           PC-File has encountered an error writing to
                           the data file, after you deleted a record.
                           This usually indicates a hardware error, or
                           a disk error.

              Database unavailable for update
                           This is a LAN locking message. Someone else
                           is updating a database record or index that
                           you are trying to update. You will have to
                           wait until the other person has completed
                           processing the record, or cancel your
                           operation.

              DBT lock error
                           This message occurs when PC-File is unable
                           to lock the memo file when updating the
                           database, while running on a network. Try
                           the operation again. If the message
                           persists, contact your network
                           administrator.

              Display length cannot be longer than 65
                           One of the fields painted in the entry
                           screen has more than 65 spaces between the
                           square brackets. Since no field can have a
                           display length of more than 65 characters,
                           you must place the left and right brackets
                           for each field within 65 characters of each
                           other.

              Error 0      PC-File has encountered an error reading or
                           writing to a file.  This usually indicates a



                                                                    343

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



                           full disk or invalid path. It can also
                           indicate a hardware error, or a disk error.

              Error closing DBF file
                           PC-File has encountered a error closing the
                           data file.  This may indicate that the disk
                           is full, that there are too many files on
                           the disk, or that there is a hardware or
                           disk error.

              Error reading ...
                           This message occurs when PC-File can't read
                           the named file. Perhaps the file has been
                           damaged in some way. You may be having
                           difficulties with the disk itself. Either
                           the diskette (or disk media) has a bad
                           sector, or errors are occurring in the disk
                           controller card. Make sure that you haven't
                           changed diskettes at an inappropriate time.

              Error writing on ...
                           This message occurs when PC-File can't write
                           on the named file. Make sure that the disk
                           doesn't have a write-protect tab on it.
                           Also, make sure that the disk isn't already
                           full. If it is full, no more data can be
                           written onto it.

                           You may be having difficulties with the disk
                           itself. Either the diskette (or disk media)
                           has a bad sector, or errors are occurring in
                           the disk controller card. Make sure that you
                           haven't changed diskettes at an
                           inappropriate time.

                           Until you correct this error and re-start
                           PC-File, you will not be allowed to add,
                           delete or modify any more records in the
                           database.

              Field must be longer than 0
                           One of the fields was painted with a length
                           of 0 characters. The left and right brackets
                           must have at least one space between them.





              344                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



              File not found ...
                           The file named in the message cannot be
                           found. There could be several reasons for
                           this:

                                 You gave the wrong name for the file.

                                 You specified the wrong disk drive or
                                  subdirectory.

                                 You are having disk hardware errors.

                                 Your disk directory may have been
                                  damaged in some way.

              Foreground color greater than 15
                           There are only 16 colors available (0-15).
                           You must select a number in this range. See
                           the quick reference card for a list of valid
                           numbers and their corresponding colors.

              HDB doesn't match DBF
                           Both the HDB and DBF files store the number
                           of fields, and each field's length and type.
                           If there is a discrepancy between the number
                           of fields or one or more fields' length or
                           type, PC-File displays this message. If you
                           receive this message, you can clone the
                           database to create a new database with
                           matching HDB and DBF files. Alternatively,
                           you can delete the HDB file and let PC-File
                           readapt to the database. To avoid this
                           message, do not edit the HDB file. If you
                           change the database structure with a program
                           other than PC-File, you must delete the HDB
                           file and let PC-File readapt.

              Invalid HDB file (nn)
                           There is an error with the database
                           definition.  The number inside the
                           parentheses (shown above as nn) gives the
                           reason:

                           2         One or more fields is located in
                                     an invalid row. Valid rows are 3
                                     through 21.



                                                                    345

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



                           3         There is an error in a field
                                     length (less than 1 or greater
                                     than 5000).

                           4         There are too many fields defined
                                     in the database.

                           5         The HDB file is not a PC-File
                                     header file, or the database does
                                     not have any fields.

                           6         One or more fields is located in
                                     an invalid column. Valid columns
                                     are 2 through 79.

                           7         The display length of one or more
                                     fields is less than 1 or greater
                                     than 65.

                           9         The defined record length is too
                                     long.

                           10        The database has more than 9 index
                                     fields.

                           12        The database has no index fields.

                           13        Invalid data in the HDB file.

                                     If you receive an invalid HDB
                                     message, delete the HDB file using
                                     the DOS DEL command. When you
                                     start up PC-File, it automatically
                                     builds a new HDB file. Deleting
                                     the HDB file causes you to lose
                                     masks, constants, calculations and
                                     the picture of your screen.

              Invalid number
                           The number you entered when you asked PC-
                           File to find a record by relative record
                           number is not a valid record number for the
                           current database.






              346                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



              Length of Date field must be 8
                           Date fields must be exactly 8 characters
                           long. Make sure each Date field has a length
                           of 8 characters.

              Length of Logical field must be 1
                           Logical fields must be exactly 1 character
                           long. Make sure each logical field has a
                           length of 1.

              Locking error ...
                           When running on a network, PC-File will
                           prevent more than one person from updating
                           the same record at the same time. PC-File
                           will lock the record so other users can't
                           update the same record. If PC-File has
                           trouble locking the record, you will receive
                           this message. Try the operation again. If
                           the message persists, contact your network
                           administrator.

              Memo field illegal
                           You cannot sort on a Memo field. You must
                           select a non-memo field as the sort field.

              Memo N/A     You can't use a memo field in a relational
                           calculation.

              Must be surrounded by ...
                           Edit masks must have colons on both sides.
                           Calculations must have parentheses on both
                           sides. Constants must have quote marks on
                           both sides.

              Must select an index
                           When you are asked to mark a field to index,
                           you must mark at least one field. PC-File
                           requires that each database have at least
                           one index.

              Must use PAINT option to add fields
                           In order to add fields under the Fast clone
                           option, there must be at least one blank
                           line available at the bottom of the entry
                           screen.  If there are no blank lines




                                                                    347

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



                           available, and you wish to add fields, you
                           must use the Paint option instead.

              Name invalid When saving files, you must specify a valid
                           DOS file name. Refer to your DOS manual for
                           the valid file name characters. Also make
                           sure that you don't have a default drive,
                           path and file in the database.PRO file.

              No calc in editor
                           The calculator hot key may not be used while
                           using the editor.

              No files found
                           PC-File cannot find any files to use. Make
                           sure you select the correct drive and
                           subdirectory.

              ?NO RAM      The computer does not have enough RAM to
                           perform a relational lookup. See the error
                           "Not enough RAM for this operation."

              No sort fields provided
                           In order to sort the database, you must
                           provide at least one sort field for PC-File.
                           If you wish to return to the Master Menu,
                           press (Esc).

              Not enough RAM for this operation
                           The operation you attempted requires more
                           RAM than you have available. You need to
                           either purchase more RAM for your system, or
                           free up some existing RAM. You can free up
                           existing memory by removing some of your RAM
                           resident routines or, if you're using
                           Windows or some other multi-tasking program,
                           specify a larger size for PC-File.

              Numeric data error
                           Numeric fields can only contain the digits 0
                           to 9, the decimal point and the minus sign.

              Packed File Corrupt
                           This error indicates that the copy of the
                           program is damaged or defective.  Re-copy
                           the program from your original disk.



              348                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



              Page length must be from 1 to 65533
                           When creating or editing a profile, and you
                           select to modify the printer defaults, you
                           are asked to enter the page length. You must
                           enter a value greater than 0 and less than
                           65534 for page length.

              Path error ...
                           PC-File was not able to locate the path you
                           specified. Perhaps you gave the name of a
                           path that doesn't exist. You may have
                           indicated the wrong disk drive. When
                           referring to a floppy disk drive, the path
                           is usually blank.

              Please provide an existing report name
                           When you choose to edit a report format, you
                           must tell PC-File which existing report to
                           edit. If you wish to create a new report,
                           choose that option instead of edit.

              Problem renaming file
                           PC-File has encountered a file error. This
                           may indicate that there is a hardware or
                           disk error, the file to rename doesn't exist
                           or a file with the same name already exists.

              Problem deleting file
                           PC-File has encountered a file error.  This
                           may indicate that the disk is full, that
                           there are too many files on the disk, or
                           that there is a hardware or disk error.

              Same background and foreground colors
                           If the foreground and background colors were
                           the same, your text would be invisible. PC-
                           File does not allow you to define the same
                           background and foreground colors when you
                           are creating or editing a profile.

              Select an existing field or leave blank for new field
                           During a clone, each field in the new
                           database will either contain information
                           from a field in the existing database, or
                           will be left blank.  You must either provide
                           an existing field name, or leave the entry



                                                                    349

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



                           blank.  See Chapter 25, "Changing Your
                           Database Definition" for more information.

              Sort key exceeded 100 characters
                           Due to limitations of the dBASE index
                           structure, PC-File cannot sort on more than
                           one hundred characters of data. For example,
                           PC-File cannot sort five fields of thirty
                           characters each, because the total length
                           would be one hundred-fifty characters. You
                           need to specify fewer sort fields, or
                           shorter portions of each sort field. See the
                           chapter "Rearranging the Data" for
                           information on sorting portions of fields.

              Unsuccessful ADD operation
                           This message usually indicates a damaged
                           index. Rebuild all indexes for the database
                           using the Utilities, Index Operations, Make
                           command. It could also indicate a damaged
                           data file, full disk or disk error.

              Use FILES=20 in CONFIG.SYS
                           PC-File must be able to open many files at a
                           time. For DOS to allow this, you must have a
                           FILES=20 statement in your CONFIG.SYS file.
                           See Chapter 2, "Installing PC-File" for more
                           information.

              WARNING: Bad Index
                           The index file does not match the data file.
                           You should build a new index using the X,
                           Index Operations option of the Utilities
                           menu. Make sure you don't have more than one
                           index field in the same subdirectory with
                           the same name.

              Wrong password
                           A password is required before you can
                           perform the operation you attempted. You
                           provided the wrong password. To learn the
                           correct password, check with the person who
                           set up your database.






              350                                               PC-File

                                                         ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________



              You may not delete the only index
                           PC-File requires each database to have at
                           least one index, so you cannot delete the
                           only remaining index for a database.

              You may not delete the current index
                           PC-File will not allow you to delete the
                           current index. You must first switch to a
                           different index (or build a new one) before
                           deleting the current index.

              You must select a new database name
                           In order for PC-File to clone a database, it
                           must copy the information to a new file. If
                           you clone to the same drive and directory as
                           the existing database, you must provide a
                           new name for the new database.

              You must select an existing file
                           When using another file as a sample, you
                           must select an existing file. Make sure you
                           are entering the correct drive, path and
                           file name.

              You must use a field that prints in the detail section
                           Free Form reports in PC-File can only print
                           subtotals and totals for fields which appear
                           in the DETAIL section of the report. Either
                           select a field which is in the DETAIL
                           section, or revise the report to include the
                           desired field in the DETAIL section.

              Your screen definition is too wide
                           When PC-File built an entry screen from the
                           Fast database definition, it was wider than
                           80 characters.  Use the Paint method to
                           define this database.












                                                                    351

              ERROR MESSAGES
              _________________________________________________________




















































              352                                               PC-File

                                                   A FEATURES CHECKLIST
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Appendix B

                                A FEATURES CHECKLIST


              Making comparisons of the many database programs on the
              market today is a popular pastime. The features checklist
              provided here will help simplify the task. We welcome all
              comparisons of PC-File to other programs. You'll soon
              discover that PC-File does far more than programs that
              sell for many times its price. Additionally, many of PC-
              File's helpful features aren't even available in other
              programs.

              Database Type:
              Indexed, flat-file with relational lookups
              Maximum databases open simultaneously is 128

              User Interface:
              Menu driven
              Full screen input
              A Help key, context-sensitive with pop-up help screens
              Mouse support
              Password protection optional, 7 levels
              Macro definition capability, with "capture" mode

              Entry/Editing Capabilities:
              Paint input screens
              Maximum 5 input screens per database
              "Character" field type
              "Number" field type
              "Date" field type
              "Logical" field type
              "Memo" field type
              Automatic Date, several formats
              Automatic Time
              Automatic "Unique number"
              Pre-entered "default" data





                                                                    353

              A FEATURES CHECKLIST
              _________________________________________________________



              RAM Memory:
              Minimum required is 512K RAM on PC

              Printers Supported:
              Text output to any printer supported by DOS, (not
              Postscript)
              Graphics output to IBM, Epson, Laserjet, Okidata,
              Postscript

              Disk Drives:
              Minimum required is 1 hard disk and a 5-1/4 or 3-1/2 inch
              floppy
              or Two 720K floppy drives

              Hard Disk Support:
              DOS path support
              Separate subdirectories are supported
              LAN file sharing and record locking is included with LAN
              version

              Electronic Disk Support:
              Program may reside on electronic disk
              Data may reside on electronic disk

              Program Capacities:
              Maximum Field length (most fields) is 254 characters
              Maximum Field length (memo fields) is 5000 characters
              Maximum Fields per Database is 128
              Maximum number of memo fields per database is 127
              Maximum Record length is 4000 characters (except memo
              fields)
              Maximum Records per Database is 1 billion
              Maximum Number of index fields per database is 9
              Maximum Number of Sort Control Fields is 10 (each sort)
              Maximum Number of "calculated fields" in a database is
              128
              Maximum Number of "relational fields" in a database is
              128
              Maximum number of input screens per database is 5
              Maximum subtotal levels per report is 9

              Search Types:
              Wildcard
              Sounds-like
              Generic
              Scan across (imbedded)



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              Search using expressions
              Global find (search entire record, all fields)

              Sort capabilities:
              Up to ten of any of the fields at one time
              Mixed ascending or descending
              Can sort any portion of a field
              Can sort Roman Numerals
              Can sort in random sequence
              Can sort in sounds-like sequence
              Can sort on results of calculations

              Ad hoc queries possible:
              Yes

              Case independence:
              Searches are case independent
              Option for case dependent searches
              Sorts and indexes are case independent
              Option for case dependent sorts and indexes

              Indexing:
              Up to 9 indexes per database
              Indexes may be ascending, descending, or user defined
              All indexes are automatically maintained in sequence
              Search on any fields in the database
              Sort on any fields except memo fields

              Reports:
              Paint reports
              Boolean logic for record selection
              IF, ELSE, ENDIF allowed in report commands
              Conditional page support
              Control breaks are supported
              Cover page can be designed
              Titles on each page are supported
              "Barchart" output format available
              Multiple title lines allowed
              Fields can be placed anywhere on the page
              Subtotals, totals and averages can be placed anywhere on
              page
              9 levels of subtotals are supported
              Headers and footers supported
              Calculated report fields
              Relational report fields (from other databases)
              Variety of system fields can be included



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              Print to disk, printer, or screen

              Graphs and charts:
              Summarizes data, multiple variables
              Supports CGA, EGA, VGA, Hercules card
              Output to Postscript, Epson, IBM, Okidata, Laserjet
              printers
              Horizontal bar charts
              Vertical bar charts
              Pie charts
              Line charts
              Scatter charts
              Smoothed averages (10 levels of smoothing)
              Logarithmic scale option
              Stacked line and bar charts
              Regression analysis (least squares fit)

              Communication with other programs:
              Works directly with dBASE III PLUS files
              Can read and write the following file types:

                   ASCII text files
                   Comma-delimited (Word, MailMerge)
                   DIF files
                   One field per line (Peachtext)
                   WordPerfect secondary merge files
                   PC-Calc+ files
                   Fixed length files
                   User-defined field and record separators
                   Lotus PRN files (writes only)
                   Microsoft SYLK files (writes only)

              Openness of the system:
              Is Program copy-protected?  NO
              Is copying for evaluation purposes allowed (Shareware)?
              YES
              Is copying for evaluation purposes of LAN version
              allowed?  NO
              Uses standard DBF files for compatibilitiy

              Miscellaneous advanced features:
              Calculated and Relational fields
              Date arithmetic
              Built-in letter writing with mail merge
              Browse mode
              Global modify and delete



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              Database restructuring is supported
              Snapshot images can be sent to printer or disk
              Macros supported
              Automatic phone dialing and logging
              Search memo fields
              Duplicate record search and delete
              Record locking on network systems
              Mouse support









































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              358                                               PC-File

                                                THE FILES ON YOUR DISKS
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                                     Appendix C

                               THE FILES ON YOUR DISKS


              This information is provided so that you'll know the
              function of each file and program in the PC-File system.
              Some of these files came with your PC-File disks or were
              created when you installed PC-File on your hard disk.
              Some of them are created during the course of using PC-
              File.

              databasename.CDS
                           This is the telephone log that is kept
                           whenever you tell PC-File to dial a
                           telephone number. This file can be deleted
                           whenever you want to start a new log.

              databasename.DBF
                           This file contains the actual data you enter
                           into your database.

              databasename.DBT
                           If any of the fields in your database are
                           memo fields, this file is created to contain
                           the contents of the memos. Even if there is
                           more than one memo field in the database,
                           all of the memo information is stored in
                           this one file.

              databasename.HDB
                           This file is created when you define a
                           database.  It contains information about the
                           structure and contents of the database.
                           This file is also created by PC-File when it
                           first detects a dBASE III PLUS database that
                           it did not know about.  This file is used by
                           PC-File, but is not used by dBASE III PLUS.





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              databasename.NDS
                           This is the sorted index to your database.
                           It is only created when you sort the
                           database.

              databasename.KEY
                           This file is created if you define any smart
                           keys for your database. It contains the
                           smart key definitions for use with the
                           database.

              databasename.PRO
                           This optional file provides configuration
                           information that will be used whenever the
                           database is selected for processing.

              DELETE.ME    This is a temporary report command file
                           created by the report and letter writing
                           routines of PC-File. It can be deleted.

              DBRPT.EXE    This is a standalone program that prints a
                           report showing how your database is defined.
                           You can delete DBRPT.EXE if you never want
                           to produce one of these printed reports.

              FCONVERT.EXE This is a standalone program that converts
                           PC-File+ databases into the new PC-File
                           (dBASE III PLUS) format.  You can delete
                           this program after you have no further use
                           for it.

              filename.ANS These files store your Report Menu answers.
                           When you print a report, the appropriate ANS
                           file will be used to set the default answers
                           to the Report Menu. These files can be
                           deleted.

              filename.LTR If you create a mail-merge letter, this is
                           the name that your letter file is saved
                           with.

              filename.NDX This is an index to your database. There is
                           at least one for each database you define.

              filename.REP This is created when you save an output
                           report. It contains information needed to



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                           format the output for that particular
                           report. These report formats can be deleted
                           when no longer needed.

              GRAPH.ME     This is a work file created whenever you
                           create a graph. It's an ASCII text file
                           which you can edit separately if you like,
                           for changing the graph when you are running
                           PCG2 standalone. GRAPH.ME can be deleted.

              INSTALL.COM  This is the PC-File install program. It
                           comes on Disk One, but is not copied onto
                           your hard disk.

              MSHERC.COM   This program must be run before you can
                           produce graphs on a Hercules monitor.  If
                           you don't have a Hercules compatible monitor
                           and graphics card, you can delete this file.

              PCF.EXE      The main program module of PC-File. It must
                           reside either in the root directory or
                           somewhere on the DOS path.

              PCF.HLP      This is the help file used by PC-File
                           whenever you press . This file is optional
                           but highly recommended if you have room for
                           it. You must place it on the same drive and
                           in the same subdirectory with PCF.EXE,
                           either in the root directory or somewhere on
                           the DOS path.

              PCFILE.PRO   A control file used by PC-File to determine
                           your operating environment. Contains
                           information about your printer control
                           characters, screen colors, etc. It's created
                           by the configuration setup option from the
                           Utilities menu. This file is optional.

              PCFIX.EXE    A standalone program designed to repair a
                           damaged database. This program is optional,
                           but you should keep it available in case of
                           an emergency.

              PCPACK.EXE   A standalone program to pack (compress) your
                           database. All deleted records are removed




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                           and memo files are packed. This program is
                           optional.

              PCG2.EXE     This is the graphing program. If you will be
                           producing graphs, this program must be in
                           the same subdirectory as your other PC-File
                           programs.  If you will not be producing
                           graphs, you can delete this program.

              PCLABEL.EXE  A standalone program which allows you to
                           print mailing labels in a one-up or multi-up
                           format.

              PEOPLE*.*    There is a sample database distributed with
                           PC-File. All of the file names associated
                           with it begin with the word PEOPLE. These
                           files can all be deleted, but are helpful to
                           use as examples.

              READ.ME      A small text file provided for additional
                           information. You can view this file with any
                           word processor that reads ASCII files, or
                           print it on your printer with this command:

                                COPY  A:READ.ME  PRN

              RESPONSE     A text file containing a copy of the User
                           Response Form. This file may be printed out
                           to create a feedback response form for
                           mailing to ButtonWare. You can delete it if
                           you wish.  However, the information
                           ButtonWare receives on these forms is
                           carefully  evaluated.  If you want to let us
                           know about additional features (or
                           improvements to current ones) in PC-File,
                           please complete this form and send it to us.

              VENDOR.DOC   A small text file explaining the conditions
                           under which shareware disk dealers may copy
                           and sell the PC-File disks. You can delete
                           it if you wish.








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                                     Appendix D

                             FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


              "Will it help if I buy more RAM for my PC?"

              ANSWER: If PC-File is able to run in the memory which you
              have available, then buying more memory will not improve
              performance. However, if you'd like to use additional
              memory as a RAM disk, or with a disk caching program,
              PC-File will benefit greatly from the apparent speed
              increase on the disk. Since database programs use disks
              heavily, RAM disks and disk caching programs have a big
              impact on performance. PC-File only recognizes 640K RAM
              and doesn't use expanded or extended memory.

              "In what language was PC-File written?"

              ANSWER: It was written in Microsoft C. There are also
              some assembler language subroutines, which were created
              using the Microsoft Assembler. There are over 67,000
              lines of source code in this product. We use PC-Type II
              to maintain our source code and documentation files.

              "Can I obtain the source code?"

              ANSWER: No.

              "What computers run PC-File?"

              ANSWER: PC-File was designed to run on all models of the
              IBM PC and on the PS/2 series. It also runs on most of
              the compatible machines.

              "Is PC-File available in any foreign languages?"

              ANSWER: Yes, PC-File is one of the most widely translated
              programs available. Complete translations (documentation
              as well as screen prompts) are available in:



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              _________________________________________________________



                   Arabic
                   Danish
                   Dutch
                   Finnish
                   French
                   German
                   Greek
                   Icelandic
                   Italian
                   Norwegian
                   Portuguese
                   Spanish (Basque and Catalan versions, too)
                   Swedish

              All marketing of the foreign language translations of
              ButtonWare products is handled by:

                   DORTEC
                   Grusbakken 5
                   DK-2820 Gentofte
                   DENMARK
                   PHONE: INT-45-2-87-06-87

              "Do you have any predefined database applications
              available?"

              ANSWER: The only one available from ButtonWare at this
              time is the PEOPLE database, a sample database
              application distributed on the PC-File distribution
              disks.

              "What is the Apex Library?"

              ANSWER: The Apex Database Library is a C Library for
              managing dBASE files. We use the Apex Database Library in
              PC-File version 5.0. You can contact Apex at: Apex
              Software Corporation, 4516 Henry Street, Pittsburgh, PA
              15213, 415-681-4343.











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                                     Appendix E

                            PC-File QUICK REFERENCE CARD


              SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING

              KEY          FUNCTION

              +            Browse up
              -            Browse down
              (Alt)C       Calculator hot-key
              (Alt)D       drop to DOS
              (Alt)E       activate Editor (in memo field)
              (Alt)H       HELP
              (Alt)I       Switch to next index
              (Alt)J       Jingle (place a phone call)
              (Alt)M       load new Macro smart keys
              (Alt)P       Print screen (cleaned up)
              (Alt)T       TEACH mode (on/off)
              (Alt)V       View memo field data
              (Alt)Y       Smart key memorize (on/off)
              (Ctrl)A      accept data (same as (F10))
              (Ctrl)B      blank right, to end of field
              (Ctrl)D      duplicate all of previous record
              (Ctrl)E      activate Editor (in memo field)
              (Ctrl)F      duplicate Field from previous record
              (Ctrl)J      Jingle (place a phone call)
              (Ctrl)L      print a Label (Snapshot)
              (Ctrl)O      Flip the flip data character
              (Ctrl)P      Print screen (cleaned up)
              (Ctrl)R      read into memory
              (Ctrl)W      write from memory
              (Del)        delete the character at the cursor
              down arrow   move cursor to following field or line
              (End)        cursor right, past last significant
                           character
              (Enter)      move cursor to next field
              (Esc)        cancel this operation
              (F10)        accept data



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              (Home)       cursor left, to start of field
              (Ins)        Insert mode (on/off)
              left arrow   move cursor left 1 position
              (PgDn)       move cursor to next data entry screen
              (PgUp)       move cursor to previous data entry screen
              right arrow  move cursor right 1 position
              tab          move cursor to next field, or
                           move browse window one field to the right
              tab left     move cursor to prior field, or
                           move browse window one field to the left
              tilde (~)    the "flip data" character
              up arrow     move cursor to preceding field or line


              DEFINING THE DATABASE

              Edit mask examples:

              :azAZ:       allows only alphabetic characters
              :AAaaEEeeIIiiOOooUUuu:
                           allows only vowels
              :09//--    : good for date fields

              Automatic Fields (In edit mask area)

              :DATE*:      mm-dd-yy
              :MM/DD/YY*:  mm/dd/yy
              :YYMMDD*:    yymmdd
              :YYYYMMDD*:  yyyymmdd
              :MO*:        mm
              :DY*:        dd
              :YR*:        yy
              :TIME*:      hh:mm
              :DD/MM/YY*:  dd/mm/yy
              :UNIQUE*:*A  unique no.
              :DUPE*:      auto dupe

              Automatic field can also have an input edit mask:
                   :DATE*09//:
              Automatic field only when adding records:
                   :DATE*:*A
              Automatic field only when modifying:
                   :DATE*:*M
              Automatic field only when blank:
                   :DATE*:*B
              Automatic Constant



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                   "New York City"
                   "Des Moines"*A           (only when adding records)
                   "Milton Freewater"*M     (only when modifying)
                   "Completed"*B
              Calculated fields example:
                   ((cost + adjustments) / 100).2
              Relational lookup example:
                   (@empno,empmast,empnumber,salary)*B

              FIND: TYPES OF SEARCHES

              xxx          generic (exact, first part)
              ~xxx         scan across
              ?xxx         sounds-like
              ___x         wildcard

              WHEN CALCULATIONS ARE ASKED FOR:

              arithmetic operators:
                   +    addition
                   -    subtraction or negation
                   *    multiplication
                   /    division
                   %    modulo (remainder)
                   ^    exponentiation

              logical operators:
                   &    and
                   |    or

              comparison operators:
                   =    equal
                   !=   not equal
                   >    greater than
                   >=   greater than or equal
                   <    less than
                   <=   less than or equal

              special calculations:
                   (@RANDOM#)     creates a random number between 0 and
              1
                   (@TODAY#)      creates todays relative "day number"
                   (@DAY#,mask)   get date from stack, convert to day#
                        mask tells date format:
                        ymd  ydm  mdy  myd  dmy  dym  yymmdd
                   (@DATE,mask)   get day# from stack, convert to date



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                        mask tells date format: examples  mdy/   dmy-
                   (@key1,dbase2,key2,answer2)
                        a relational lookup
                   (@*,answer3)
                        a subsequent relational lookup into same record

              example arithmetic calculation:
                   ((cost + adjust) / 100)
              example comparison calculation:
                   ((age >= 21 & age < 40) & sex = "F")
              example date arithmetic: difference btwn 2 dates
                   (date2(@DAY#,mdy) - (date1(@DAY#,mdy))
              example date arithmetic: date 60 days later
                   ((date1(@DAY#,mdy) + 60)(@DATE,mdy/))

              COMMANDS WITHIN SMART KEY DATA

                   F1        [315]          rt arrow    [333]          (Alt)P  [281]
                   F2        [316]          End         [335]          (Alt)T  [276]
                   F3        [317]          dwn arrow   [336]          (Alt)V  [303]
                   F4        [318]          PgDn        [337]          (Alt)Y  [277]
                   F5        [319]          Ins         [338]          (Ctrl)A [1]
                   F6        [320]          Del         [339]          (Ctrl)B [2]
                   F7        [321]          Tab         [9]            (Ctrl)D [4]
                   F8        [322]          Shift Tab   [271]          (Ctrl)E [5]
                   F9        [323]          (Alt)C      [302]          (Ctrl)F [6]
                   F10       [324]          (Alt)D      [288]          (Ctrl)J [10]
                   Enter     [13]           (Alt)E      [274]          (Ctrl)L [12]
                   Home      [327]          (Alt)H      [291]          (Ctrl)O [15]
                   up arrow  [328]          (Alt)I      [279]          (Ctrl)P [16]
                   PgUp      [329]          (Alt)J      [292]          (Ctrl)R [18]
                   lft arrow [331]          (Alt)M      [296]          (Ctrl)V [22]
                                                                       (Ctrl)W [23]

              REPORT COMMAND LANGUAGE

              The sections of the report

              :COVER       once at beginning of report
              :HEADING     top of each page
              :DETAIL      once for each record printed
              :SUBTOTAL    at each subtotal break
              :FOOTING     bottom of each page
              :TOTAL       at end of the report

              Commands in filename.rep (1 command per line):



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              [xxx]        field xxx data prints here
              [COUNT*]     print count of records printed so far
              [DATE*]      today's date prints here
              [KEYIN*prompt]
                           ask operator input, print here
              [PAGE*]      print page number here
              [RECORDS*]   print no. of rcds in database
              [SELECT*]    print the selection criteria
              [SORT*]      print the primary sort field name
              [SUBCMD*n]   print subtotal trigger formula
              [SUBCOUNT*n] print count of rcds in subtotal group
              [SUBFLD*n]   print field name of subtotal break fld
              [SUBID*n]    print data from subtotal break field
              [SUBLEVEL*]  print level number of subtotal break
              [TIME*]      the current time prints here
              A nn,nnn,nn  print ASCII printer control codes here
              <xxx>        field xxx data (excess spaces removed)
              "xxx"        a constant
              =nn          tab to column nn
              /n           insert n newlines
              .FF          form feed to new page
              .CP nn       conditional skip to new page
              .IF (calculation)
                           if calc is true, include following cmds
              .ELSE        if calc is not true, include following
              .ENDIF       end of IF construct
              .GROUP       start a group (no blank lines)
              .EGROUP      end a group
              .EGROUP R    end a group, replace blank lines
              (a+b):z,zz#.##:
                           a calculated answer, with output mask
              (@K1,DB,k2,x2):@@@:
                           a relational lookup
              (@*,fld):@@@@:
                           a relational lookup into the same record

              Output Edit Masks (examples)

              :@@@@@@@@@@@@:
                           a character field mask
              :#####:      numbers, all digits appear
              :zz,zz#.##:  zero suppress, with commas
              :$$$$$$.##:  floating dollar sign
              :******.##:  asterisk check protection
              :=12,0,100,* :
                           bar chart mask



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              :WWWWWW:     word wrap character

              MAIL-MERGE COMMANDS  (IMBED IN LETTER)

              .<fieldname> insert data, blanks stripped
              .[fieldname] insert data, no blanks removed
              .<KEYIN*prompt>
                           insert data from keyboard
              .<DATE*>     insert today's date
              .GROUP       start a group (no blank lines)
              .EGROUP      end a group
              .EGROUP R    end a group, replace blank lines
              .FORMFEED    skip to new page on printer
              .FF          skip to new page on printer
              .CP nn       conditional skip to new page
              .IF (calculation)
                           if calc is true, include following
              .ELSE        "  not true, include  "    "
              .ENDIF       end of IF construct
              .<(a+b):z,zz#.##:>
                           a calculated answer
              .<(@K1,DB2,k2,x2):@@@:>
                           a relational lookup answer

              SORT ALTERNATIVES (SORT FIELD #n)

              fieldname    sort on entire field
              fieldname,3,5
                           data starts in byte=3, length=5
              fieldname,R  Roman Numeral sort
              fieldname,S  sounds-like sort
              (@RANDOM#)   random sequence
              (fieldname(@DAY#,mdy))
                           sort on field that's in mo/dy/yr format

              COMMANDS IN PROFILE FILES

              /ADDPW,xxx   password allowing additions to database
              /AUTOSKIP    automatic skip to next field when full
              /BG,n        set background screen color 0-7 (note 1)
              /BGW,n       set background window color 0-7 (note 1)
              /CASEFIND    searches will be case sensitive
              /CASESORT    sorts will be case sensitive
              /CONDENSED,n,n
                           ASCII values to cause condensed print
              /DELAY,n     slow down smart keys n/18 of a second



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              /DELPW,xxx   password allowing deletions in database
              /DRIVE,x     default disk for data
              /EGA         use 35 lines on EGA or 40 lines on VGA
              /ENTER       Force Enter key to behave like (F10) key
              /EURODATE    Use european date format in reports
              /EXPERT      smaller menu prompts where possible
              /FASTVIEW    fastest screen writes (possible snow)
              /FG,n        set foreground screen color 0-15 (note 1)
              /FG2,n       set alternate color (field names, highlight)
              /FGW,n       set foreground window color 0-15 (note 1)
              /FILE,xxx    default database name
              /KEYIN,xxx   keystrokes to run at startup
              /LAN         turns on LAN file sharing mode
              /LBL,xxx     gives Snapshot Label format (note 2)
              /MEMOW,n     the width of the Memo window
              /MODPW,xxx   password allowing modify in database
              /NORMAL,n,n  ASCII values to cause normal print size
              /NOTRAP      don't trap disk errors and (Ctrl)break
              /PAGELEN,n   size of page (no. of print lines)
              /PATH,xxx    default subdirectory for data
              /PHPORT,COM1 The COM port to Jingle phone calls thru
              /PHPRE,xxx   Telephone "connect" command characters
              /PRPORT,LPTx:
                           printer output port
              /SORTPW,xxx  password allows sorts on database
              /SYSPW,xxx   password allows system operations
              /USEPW,xxx   password allows use of the database
              /VGA         use 35 lines on EGA or 40 lines on VGA
              /XXXPW,xxx   password allows override of all passwords

              Note 1.
               Screen colors: bg 0-7, fg 0-15, fg2 0-15, bgw 0-7, fgw
              0-15
               0 black            5 magenta         10 lt. green
               1 blue             6 brown           11 lt. cyan
               2 green            7 white           12 lt. red
               3 cyan             8 gray            13 lt. magenta
               4 red              9 lt. blue        14 yellow
                                                    15 brt white

              Note 2.
                   Snapshot Feature specification:
                        dev,t,f,f,f,f......
                             dev  = LPT1:, LPT2:, MYFILE, etc.
                             t    = no. chars to tab in at left margin
                             f    = field number, or command



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                             0    = new line
                             -n   = insert n spaces
                             'xx' = insert xx (a constant)

              SPECIAL KEYS IN EDITOR

              Cursor movement keys

              End          Move to last character of current line.
              Home         Move to first position on line.
              PgDn         Shift down one screen (if enough left).
              PgUp         Shift up one screen (if enough left).
              Ctrl End     Move to lower left corner of current window.
              Ctrl Home    Move to upper left corner of current window.
              Ctrl Lft Arrow
                           Move to beginning of previous word.
              Ctrl PgDn    Move to bottom line.
              Ctrl PgUp    Move to top line.
              Ctrl Rt Arrow
                           Move to beginning of next word.
              Shift Tab    Tab to the left
              Tab          Tab to the right

              Commands

              Ctrl \       Split line at cursor
              Ctrl A       Toggles automatic paragraph wrapping
              Ctrl B       Mark corner of block
              Ctrl C       Copy marked area (to below cursor)
              Ctrl D       Delete blocked area
              Ctrl E       Erase from cursor line to end of document
              Ctrl F       Fill marked area with selected character
              Ctrl L       Mark line or lined area
              Ctrl M       Move marked area
              Ctrl O       Overlay marked area
              Ctrl R       Reformat blocked area. If no area blocked,
                           reformats current paragraph
              Ctrl U       Unmark the marked area
              Ctrl V       Enable / disable "whoops" key
              Ctrl W       "Whoops" - Recall previous buffer
              Esc          Inserts esc character in text -
                           two Esc strokes in a row exit the editor
              F3           Menu of editor commands
              F5           Delete current line
              F6           Erase from cursor to end of line
              F10          Exit and keep all changes



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              COMMANDS FOR USER-DEFINED INDEXES

              ABS(num)           ISALPHA(char)      REPLICATE(char,num)
              ASC(char)          ISDIGIT(char)      RIGHT(char,num)
              AT(str,str)        ISLOWER(char)      ROMAN(char)
              CDOW(date)         ISUPPER(char)      ROUND(num,num)
              CHR(num)           LEFT(char,len)     RTRIM(char)
              CMONTH(date)       LEN(char)          SOUNDEX(char)
              CTOD(char)         LOWER(char)        SPACE(num)
              DATE()             LTRIM(char)        STR(num,num,num)
              DAY(date)          MAX(num,num)       STUFF(char,num,num,char)
              DESCEND(char)      MIN(num,num)       SUBSTR(char,num,num)
              DOW(date)          MOD(num,num)       TIME()
              DTOC(date)         MONTH(date)        TRIM(char)
              EXP(num)           RECCOUNT()         TYPE(any)
              IIF(cond,expr,expr)RECNO()            UPPER(char)
              INT(num)           RECSIZE()          VAL(char)
                                                    YEAR(date)































                                                                    373

              PC-File QUICK REFERENCE CARD
              _________________________________________________________




















































              374                                               PC-File

                                                     USER RESPONSE FORM
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Appendix F

                                 USER RESPONSE FORM


              We'd like to know more about you and your requirements.
              This information helps us to make improvements, as well
              as add in the new features that are most needed.  Please
              help us by completing this questionnaire and mailing it
              to:

                         Jim Button User Survey
                         P.O. Box 96058
                         Bellevue, WA  98009
                         USA




























                                                                    375

              USER RESPONSE FORM
              _________________________________________________________



              USER PROFILE

                     1.  Your computer brand and model:________________

                     2.  Amount of computer RAM memory:________________

                     3.  Printer brand and model:______________________

                     4.  Are you using PC-File on a LAN? If so, which
              one? How many stations?
                         ______________________________________________

                     5.  Compatibility problems running PC-File on your
              machine?
                         ______________________________________________

                     6.  How do you rate PC-File?  (1=poor, 10=best)
                           Ease of Learning _____          Ease of Use    _____
                           Documentation    _____          Help screens   _____
                           Product Support  _____          Price          _____

                     7.  What do you like best about PC-File?
                         ______________________________________________

                     8.  What do you like least about PC-File?
                         ______________________________________________

                     9. Where did you hear about PC-File?______________

                     10. Where did you get this copy of PC-File?
                         Store____     Club____       Classroom____  Friend____
                         Work____      ButtonWare____ Bulletin
              board____
                         Other_________________________________________

                     11. What applications are you using PC-File for?
                         ______________________________________________

                     12. What industry do you work in?_________________

                     13. How many employees are there in your company?_

                     14. What is your job title?_______________________

                     15. Do you use PC-File at home_____   office_____    both_____




              376                                               PC-File

                                                     USER RESPONSE FORM
              _________________________________________________________



                     16. Your name and address (optional)______________
                         ______________________________________________
                         ______________________________________________














































                                                                    377

              USER RESPONSE FORM
              _________________________________________________________



                     IMPROVEMENTS WANTED

                     Please list below the improvements that you would
              like to
                     see made to PC-File  (new features, changes, etc):

                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________
                     _________________________________________________________







              378                                               PC-File

                                                BUTTONWARE PRODUCT LINE
              _________________________________________________________









                                     Appendix G

                               BUTTONWARE PRODUCT LINE


              PC-Type II   At 1/3 or less the cost, PC-Type II has all
                           the high-powered functions you'd expect of
                           the "big" programs with big prices. Tackle
                           your routine correspondence, your annual
                           report, or your novel with PC-Type II.

                                 Full-screen editing
                                 Block copy, move, delete
                                 Mail merge
                                 100,000 word spelling checker
                                 Split screen editing of multiple
                                  files
                                 Link to PC-File

              PC-Calc+     PC-Calc+ marries number-crunching power and
                           ease-of-use for an unbeatable spreadsheet
                           combination. With PC-Calc+, your projections
                           are sure to be on target and on time, every
                           time.

                                 Graph your data: pie, line and bar
                                  charts
                                 Comprehensive print options
                                 Math coprocessor support
                                 Split screen editing and processing
                                 Supports date, time, financial,
                                  statistical, trig, string and logical
                                  functions
                                 Link to PC-File

              Baker's Dozen
                           A handy collection of 13 time-saving
                           utilities. Baker's Dozen has something for
                           just about anyone at a cost that equals what




                                                                    379

              BUTTONWARE PRODUCT LINE
              _________________________________________________________



                           you'd pay for just one utility anywhere but
                           at ButtonWare.

                                 Calendar for keeping track of your
                                  busy schedule
                                 Sideways printing utility
                                 Quick delete directory program
                                 Screen colors utility
                                 Disk utility: powerful disk utility
                                  to recover deleted files, fix
                                  directories, repair disk file damage,
                                  and reclaim lost data





































              380                                               PC-File

                                                             ORDER FORM
              _________________________________________________________









                                     ORDER FORM


              ButtonWare, Inc.    800-J-BUTTON (orders only)
              P.O. Box 96058      206-454-0479 (business office)
              Bellevue, WA 98009  206-454-1838 (24 hour FAX line)
                         Federal Employer I.D.# 91-1277227

              PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

                                           PRICE       PRICE
              ITEM               QTY       EACH        EXTENDED

              PC-File 5.0        ___      $129.95       ______
              PC-File 5.0 LAN    ___      $349.95       ______
              PC-File LAN update ___      $219.95       ______
              PC-Type II         ___       $89.95       ______
              PC-Calc+           ___       $69.95       ______
              Baker's Dozen      ___       $59.95       ______

              Quantity discounts are available
                                               SUBTOTAL______
              (WA st. residents only) 8.1% sales tax   ______
              Standard shipping and handling           _5.00_
              Outside US & Canada add $7.50 per item   ______
                                                  TOTAL______

              [] MasterCard [] Visa [] AMEX [] check (US funds)

              P.O.s only accepted from government agencies and schools
              in the U.S. No P.O.s accepted under $50.

              Card number______________________________________________
              Expiration date__________          Signature_____________
              Name_____________________________________________________
              Address__________________________________________________
              City______          State__________      Zip_____________
              Country________           Phone__________________________
              Please indicate disk size: [] 5-1/4" [] 3-1/2"




                                                                    381

              ORDER FORM
              _________________________________________________________




















































              382                                               PC-File

                                                       ABOUT THE AUTHOR
              _________________________________________________________









                                  ABOUT THE AUTHOR


              As one of the pioneers of shareware, Jim Button has
              contributed much to the software community. In addition
              to writing his popular software packages, Jim serves as
              CEO in his successful corporation, ButtonWare. Likewise,
              Jim functions as chairman of the Association of Shareware
              Professionals.

              Jim's philosophy that "software should be powerful, easy
              to use, and affordable" has propelled ButtonWare to the
              number one position in the shareware community. Also
              ButtonWare has consistently held a position in the top
              100 software companies for the past four years.

              Jim attributes much of his success to constant contact
              with his users. Through phone calls and letters, Jim
              stays aware of his customers' needs for product function,
              performance and support.

              As a 17 year veteran of IBM, Jim has a firm grasp on the
              computer industry, particularly the microcomputer
              community.

              When not occupied with business, Jim enjoys diving and
              boating with his wife Helen, and four children.
















                                                                    383

              ABOUT THE AUTHOR
              _________________________________________________________




















































              384                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________









                                        Index


                     # 128, 211              alphabetical order
                     & 89                       100
                     = 129                   (Alt)C 29
                     ? 88, 304, 305          (Alt)D 29
                     @ 114, 304              (Alt)E 29
                     _ 88                    (Alt)H 27, 29, 361
                     | 89                    (Alt)I 29, 100, 287
                     ~ 87, 142               (Alt)J 29, 198
                     :: 132                  (Alt)M 29, 278
                     := 129                  (Alt)O 29, 31, 78
                     < > 305                 (Alt)P 29, 31
                     [ ] 305                 (Alt)T 27, 29
                     8087 333                (Alt)V 29
                     1-2-3 220               (Alt)Y 29
                                             ANS 360
                     A                       (@*.ANSWER) 195
                     .A 153                  append 224
                     ABS 283                 arithmetic 240
                     access codes 202           date 191
                     active index 288        ASC 283
                     adapting a database     ascending 101
                        61                   ascending index 282
                     adapting to dBASE       ASCII 49, 119, 126,
                        files 61                153, 221, 274
                     add 77, 82              ASCII-C 293
                     add a file              ASCII decimal value
                        description 269         256
                     add field 207, 210      ASCII file 220
                     add only 246            ASCII-L 292
                     Add Password 259        aspect ratio 180
                     adding records 77       asterisk 86
                     addition 190, 240       AT 283
                     ADDPW 266               Autodialing 197
                     adopted file 61         automatic data 237
                     adopting a database     automatic field 238
                        61                   AUTOSKIP 266
                                             autoskip 254



                                                                    385

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     autowrap toggle 43      calculated sort
                     available memory 14        field 102
                     average 179             calculation 102,
                                                117, 119, 127,
                     B                          189
                     backing up 20           calculator 30
                     backspace 29            Call Data Standard
                     backup 20, 231,            201
                        317, 328             Can't delete NDX
                     backwards 84               entry 97
                     BAD... (error msg)      Can't modify NDX
                        339                     entry 96
                     bad data 331            Can't open 341
                     bar chart mask 129      Can't run DOS 342
                     bar charts 163          CANCELED... (error
                     Beginning 82               msg) 340
                     beginning of file       Cannot... (error
                        82                      msg) 340
                     best fit 179            capabilities 355
                     BG 266                  capacities 354
                     BGW 267                 card
                     blank lines 142            quick reference
                     blank-only 247             365
                     block mark 45           case 253
                     block operations 46     case insensitive
                     Bound 178                  sorts 253
                     boxes 50                case sensitive
                        creating 50             sorts 253
                     boxes on the screen     CASEFIND 267
                        50                   CASESORT 267
                     brackets 71             Categories 169
                     Browse 83               CDOW 283
                     bucket 131, 147         CDS 201, 359
                     build index 281         CGA adapter 165
                     built-in editor 41      change data entry
                     Bulletin Board 5           screen 205
                     ButtonWare business     change database 207
                        line 5               change field 210
                                             Change field
                     C                          lengths 208
                     caching 363             change field name
                     Calculate a future         206
                        date 243             Change field types
                     calculated field           208
                        239                  change index 287




              386                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     change the              convert 21
                        configuration        converting old
                        250                     databases 21
                     change the file         copies 138
                        description 269         backup copies
                     Changing a field           317
                        name 236             coprocessor 333
                     Character 64            copy 231, 318
                     charts 157                 block 46
                     checklist 353           COUNT 119
                     CHKDSK 327              counts 168
                     CHR 283                 COVER 108
                     clear to line end       CP 119, 153
                        43                   create 63
                     clone 207               creating boxes 51
                     CMONTH 283              creating reports
                     Color 175                  117
                     color 126, 251          CTOD 283
                     column report 110       (Ctrl)\ 48
                     COM1 257                (Ctrl)right arrow
                     COM2 257                   30
                     comma delimited 220     (Ctrl)A 29
                     Command format 118      (Ctrl)B 29
                     compare dates 194       (Ctrl)C 46
                     comparison              (Ctrl)D 29, 46
                        features 353         (Ctrl)E 29, 45, 80
                     Comparison              (Ctrl)F 29, 46, 79
                        operators 90         (Ctrl)J 29, 198
                     compatibility with      (Ctrl)L 29, 45, 263
                        previous             (Ctrl)left arrow 29
                        versions 21          (Ctrl)M 46
                     complex search 85,      (Ctrl)O 30, 31, 46
                        89                   (Ctrl)P 30
                     CONDENSED 267           (Ctrl)R 30, 46, 79
                     condensed 141, 255      (Ctrl)W 30, 79
                     Conditional Page        Cumulative bar 163
                        125                  cumulative graphs
                     CONFIG.SYS 16, 19          179
                     configuration 249
                     configuration           D
                        commands 266         damaged files 327,
                     configuration              331
                        screen 251           data entry screens
                     constant 120, 239          70, 205
                     control code            Data identifiers 90
                        printer 256          data type 64, 72



                                                                    387

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     database                decimal places 66,
                        description 323         241
                     database field          default drive 252
                        commands 119         defaults
                     databasename.CDS           database 252
                        359                  define 67
                     databasename.DBF           database 63
                        359                  definition 207
                     databasename.DBT        (Del) 30
                        359                  DELAY 267
                     databasename.HDB           n 265
                        359                  delete 57, 97, 227,
                     databasename.KEY           231
                        277, 360                block 46
                     databasename.NDS           file 232
                        359                  delete field 210
                     databasename.PRO        delete index 288
                        360                  delete line 43
                     DATE 238, 283           DELETE.ME 360
                     date 65, 117, 119       Delete Password 259
                     .<DATE*> 152            deleted
                     date arithmetic            un-delete 279
                        191, 243             deleted records 57,
                     date calculations          319
                        241                  deleting a record
                     @DATE 192, 242             97
                     *Date 306               DELPW 267
                     date fields             DESCEND 283
                        searching 89         descending 101
                     dates 241               descending index
                        compare 194             282
                     DAY 283                 description
                     @DAY# 191                  database 323
                     @DAY# 242                  file 269
                     dBASE                   DETAIL 108
                        import 219           dial 197
                     dBASE data file 53,     DIF 219
                        61                   directory 15
                     dBASE functions 283     disk space 14
                     DBF 219, 359            display field name
                     DBF Files 54               205
                     DBRPT 323               display labels 183
                     DBRPT.EXE 360           display length 66
                     DBT Files 55, 359       division 190, 240
                     DD/MM/YY 238            Do Subtotals 138
                                             DONE 43



              388                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     DOS 30                  (Esc) 30
                     DOS CHKDSK 327          escape code toggle
                     double-space 138           297
                     DOW 284                 EURODATE 267
                     down arrow 30           european date 254
                     draw 71, 114            exit PC-Label 310
                     DRIVE 267               EXP 284
                     drive 252               EXPERT 267
                     drop to DOS 30          expert menu 254
                     DTOC 284                exploding pie 182
                     DUPE 238                exponentiation 190,
                     dupe keys 78               240
                     Duplicate 29            export 219, 221
                     duplicate records       extract 18
                        215
                     duplication 78          F
                     DY 238                  (F10) 30
                                             (F5) 45
                     E                       (F6) 45, 107
                     edit                    Fast method 68
                        smart keys 272       FASTVIEW 254, 267,
                     edit masks 127, 236        333
                     editing reports 117     FCONVERT 22
                     editing window 42       FCONVERT.EXE 360
                     editor 41, 80           features 353
                     editor menu 42          FF 116, 119, 153
                     EGA 254, 267            FG 267
                     EGA adapter 165         FG2 267
                     EGROUP 119, 152         FGW 267
                     .EGROUP  R 152          field 208
                     elapsed time 193,          name 235
                        243                  field boundaries 71
                     ELSE 119, 154           Field Lengths 66
                     empty mask 128          field name 63, 205,
                     encrypted 22               236
                     End 82                  field type 64, 72
                     (End) 30                .<fieldname> 151
                     ENDIF 119, 154          .[fieldname    ]
                     /ENTER 267                 151
                     (Enter) 30              FILE 267
                     entry screen 205,       file
                        210                     backup 317
                     erase right 43             delete 232
                     (E)rase to end of          rename 232
                        file 45              file description
                     error message 339          73, 269



                                                                    389

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     filename.ANS 360        graphing multiple
                     filename.LTR 360           variables 179
                     filename.NDX 360        graphing
                     filename.REP 360           requirements 165
                     FILES 20                graphs 157
                     files                   gray fill 175
                        functions of 359     Greater than 90
                     FILES=20 16             /GREEN 289
                     Fill 46                 grid 163, 179
                     find a record 81        GROUP 119, 152
                     first record 82         group highlighting
                     fit 179                    139
                     fix
                        databases 331        H
                     fixed length ASCII      hard disk 14
                        file 219             HDB 56, 359
                     flip 142                HEADING 108
                     flip data 30, 31        help 27
                     FOOTING 109             help file 361
                     form letter 149         help screens 27
                     format 107              Hercules 166, 361
                     FORMFEED 152            highlight
                     Formfeed 123               group 140
                     forward browse 83       (Home) 30
                     free form report        Horizontal bar
                        format 113              charts 163
                     full disk 327           Horizontal Tab 122
                     function keys 43
                     functions               I
                        dBASE 283            identifier 90
                     future date 194         IF 119, 154
                     FXD 224                 IF ELSE ENDIF 123
                                             IIF 284
                     G                       imbedded search 87
                     Generic 90              import 219, 224
                     generic search 87       index 54, 66, 212
                     global modify 227          rebuild 332
                     global search 92        index error
                     .GR 171                    messages 105
                     GRAPH.ME 361            Index Fields 66
                     graph titles 169        index name 281
                     GRAPHICS 186            index operations
                     graphing                   281
                        problems 184            deleting an
                        troubleshooting         index 288
                        184



              390                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________



                        making a new            snapshot 262
                        index 281            LAN 266, 267, 313
                        naming the index     Landscape 174
                        281                  language
                        renaming an             programming 363
                        index 288            laser printers 144,
                        switching               145, 175, 257
                        indexes 287          last record 82
                     indexes                 LBL 267, 291
                        defining 66          learn mode macros
                        switching 100           271
                     indexing 99             least squares
                     input edit mask 236        method of 180
                     (Ins) 30                LEFT 284
                     INSTALL.COM 361         left arrow 30
                     installing 13           Left Button 34
                     installing over         left margin 140
                        PC-File 17           legend 170
                     installing PC-File      LEN 285
                        13                   length
                     installing problems        field 208, 210
                        18                      page 140, 256
                     Installing to 3         lengthen field 208
                        1/2" disks 17        Less than 90
                     INT 284                 letter writer
                     ISALPHA 284                screen 150
                     ISDIGIT 284             letter writing 149
                     ISLOWER 284             level number 147
                     ISUPPER 284             level zero 147
                                             limiting characters
                     K                          in a field 236
                     ^K 274                  line charts 163
                     KEY 360                 line feed 123
                     keyboard input 274      line graphs 164
                     KEYIN 119, 261, 267     line mark 46
                     .<KEYIN*msg> 151        line spacing 138
                     *Keyin 306              linefeed 225
                     keys 29                 lines
                     keystroke codes 273        blank 142
                                             lines per page 140,
                     L                          257
                     Label Layout 303        load
                     Label Sheet                smart keys 277
                        Definition 300       Local Area Network
                     labels 112                 313
                        mailing 289          locate 81



                                                                    391

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     locking records 313     memo field 55, 120,
                     logarithmic 179            319
                     Logical field 65        memo field
                     Logical operators          guidelines 56
                        89                   memo files 319
                     Logitech Mouse 33       memorize 79
                     long distance calls     memorize keystrokes
                        200                     271
                     lookup 244              memory 363
                        relational 195       memory requirements
                     Lotus 220                  13
                     LOWER 285               memory resident
                     lower case 46, 253         programs 266
                     LPT1 257                MEMOW 266, 267
                     LPT2 257                Menu 75
                     LTR 150, 360            menu
                     LTRIM 285                  smart keys 278
                                             merge databases 219
                     M                       message
                     macros 271                 error 339
                        learn mode 271       method of least
                        modify 272              squares 180
                        recursive 275        Microsoft Mouse 33
                        repeating 275        Microsoft Word 220
                     mail merge letters      Middle Button 34
                        149                  MIN 285
                     mailing labels 112,     MM/DD/YY 238
                        262, 289             MO 238
                     MailMerge files 220     MOD 285
                     make index 281          modem 197
                     manually installing     modify 95, 227
                        18                   modify data entry
                     margin 140                 screen 205
                     mark block 46           modify only 246
                     Mark operations 46      Modify Password 259
                     mask 127, 236           modify record 95
                     Master Menu 75          modify smart keys
                     Master Menu                272
                        Password 259         MODPW 267
                     math calculations       modulo 190, 240
                        189                  monitor 254
                     MAX 285                 monochrome monitor
                     maximum 63, 353            184
                     mean 179                MONTH 285
                     memo 65, 79             mouse 33
                                             MOUSE.COM 33



              392                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     mouse menu 34           Numeric 64
                     MOUSE.SYS 33            numeric fields
                     Move 46                    printing 128
                     move block 46              searching 88
                     moving averages 163
                     MSHERC.COM 166, 361     O
                     multi-up labels 302     operator input 274
                     multi-user version      order line 5
                        313                  order of
                     Multiplan 220              calculations 190
                     multiple subtotal       output 137
                        levels 146, 172      output 174
                     multiplication 190,     overlap 183
                        240                  Overlay 46
                                             Override password
                     N                          260
                     name                    overwrite 226
                        database 213
                        index 281            P
                     name of field 236       pack 57, 319
                     NDS 360                 page 119
                     NDX 54, 360             PAGE* 119, 122
                     nest .IF statements     Page format 109
                        124                  page length 140,
                     nesting parentheses        256
                        190                  page number 117,
                     nesting smart keys         119, 122
                        274                  PAGELEN 267
                     network 313             paint clone 210
                     New Line 123            paint define 69
                     new page 116, 123,      Paint method 68
                        125                  paint report 113
                     next record 82          parallel port 257
                     next word 47            Parentheses 89
                     NORMAL 267              passwords 257, 258
                     normal 141              PATH 267
                     Not equal 90            path 252
                     NOTRAP 266, 267         Path error 349
                     Novell 313              pattern fill 175
                     null mask 132           pause 141, 274
                     number                  PC-Calc 219, 335
                        page 141             PC-File+ 21
                     Number of               PC-File data files
                        Characters in a         53
                        Record 63            PC-File:dB 21
                     Number of Fields 63     PC-File III 22



                                                                    393

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     PC-File/R 22            Print All or
                     PC-Label 289               Selected Records
                     PC-Label main menu         142
                        290                  Print Escape Code
                     PC-Mouse 33                298
                     PC-Type 337             Print Labels 308
                     PCF.EXE 361             print masks 127
                     PCF.HLP 361             print multiple
                     PCFILE.PRO 249, 361        copies 138
                     PCFIX 327, 331          print report 138
                     PCFIX.EXE 361           print right-aligned
                     PCG2.EXE 184, 362          129
                     PCLABEL.EXE 362         print screen 30, 31
                     PCPACK 319              print size 141
                     PCPACK.EXE 361          printed description
                     PeachText 220              323
                     PEOPLE 362              printer 254, 256
                     performance 333         printer control
                     Permanent Title 169        code 254
                     (PgDn) 30               printer port 137,
                     (PgUp) 30                  257
                     phone 29, 197           printer support 254
                     phone access            printing
                        commands 202            common problems
                     phone bill analyzer        143
                        programs 201         printing letters
                     phone numbers 5            154
                     PHPORT 267              printing mailing
                     PHPRE 267                  labels 289
                     picture 69, 205         Printing reports
                     pie chart 164              107
                     PKUNZIP 18              Printing string
                     PKZIP 18                   buckets 132
                     port 202                printing window
                        printer 257             fields 121
                     portion of a field      prints question
                        38, 103                 marks 143
                     Portrait 174            prior 82
                     Postscript 175          PRN 220
                     PostScript printers     PRO 360
                        166                  Problem... (error
                     previous record 82         msg) 349
                     previous word 47        problems 339
                     print 107, 137             indexes 105
                        letter 154           Problems with
                                                calculations 246



              394                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     profile 249             redefine 207
                     programming language    reference card 365
                        363                  reformat 44, 47
                     PRPORT 267              regression line 164
                                             relational lookup
                     Q                          119, 153, 195,
                     query 82                   244
                     questions               relational retrieve
                        frequently asked        245
                        363                  relative record 83
                     quick label 262         remove fields 208,
                     quick reference            210
                        card 365             rename 231
                                                file 232
                     R                       REP 360
                     RAM 363                 repair 331
                     RAM disk 354            REPLICATE 285
                     RAM requirements 13     report 107
                     random number 245       report layout 116
                     @RANDOM# 194            Report Menu 137
                     random sort 104         requirements 13
                     re-describe a file      RESPONSE 362
                        269                  reverse sequence
                     Re-order fields 208        282
                     READ.ME 16, 19, 362     RIGHT 285
                     Rearrange the           right-aligned
                        Screen 209              printing 129
                     rearranging data 99     right arrow 30
                     rebuild index 332       Right Button 34
                     RECCOUNT 285            ROMAN 286
                     RECNO 285               Roman Numeral 104
                     *Recno 306              ROUND 286
                     record duplication      Row Format 110
                        78                   RTRIM 286
                     record locking 313
                     record number 92        S
                     recording               sample Command
                        keystrokes 271          report 133
                     RECORDS* 119            save label setup
                     recover deleted            309
                        records 279          saving graph
                     recovery                   formats 171
                        file 327             Scan across search
                     RECSIZE 285                90
                     recursive smart key     Scatter charts 163
                        275                  scatter graph 164



                                                                    395

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     screen 205              smoothed average
                     screen changes 210         180
                     screen color 251        Snapshot 262
                     SDF 220                 SORT 119
                     search 85               sort 99
                     search by record        sort on a
                        number 92               calculated field
                     security 257               102
                     SELECT 119              sort on multiple
                     select a field 37          fields 100
                     select a file 37        Sort Password 259
                     select records          SORT_SEQ 102
                        manually 143         sort sequence index
                     selected 101               102
                     selected records        sort the database
                        importing 223           100
                     selecting a portion     sorting 99, 253
                        of a field 39        SORTPW 267
                     selecting files 37      SOUNDEX 286
                     selecting records       soundex search 87
                        85                   Sounds-like search
                     separators 219             90
                     sequence 101, 287       sounds-like sort
                     sequencing fields          104
                        209                  source code 363
                     serial port 257         SPACE 286
                     setup 249               Spacing 138
                     shareable file 313      special characters
                     sharing files 313          49
                     sheet feeders 303       special keys 29
                     (Shift)(Tab) 30         speed 333, 363
                     shorten field 207       split line 44
                     simple search 86        square brackets 71
                     single-space 138        starting PC-File 61
                     size                    store text 132
                        database 354         STR 286
                        defining a           string bucket 119,
                        database 63             132
                        print 141            STUFF 286
                        record 354           SUBCMD 119, 147
                     smart key               SUBCOUNT 119, 147
                        recursive 275        subdirectory 13
                        repeating 275        SUBFLD 119, 147
                     smart key menu 278      SUBID 119, 147
                     smart keys 29, 271      SUBLEVEL 119, 147
                        load 277             subset database 207



              396                                               PC-File

                                                                  Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     SUBSTR 286              title
                     substring sort 103         graph 169
                     Subtitle 169               report 111
                     SUBTOTAL 109            @TODAY# 191
                     subtotal 130            @TODAY# 242
                     Subtotal breaks 138     TOTAL 109
                     subtotal trigger        total 119
                        147, 172             total bucket 119,
                     subtotal trigger           130
                        field name 147       total values 130
                     subtotals 146, 167      totals 167
                     subtraction 190,        trailing spaces 142
                        240                  transfer data 219
                     suggestions 333         TRIM 287
                     suppress leading        trouble printing
                        zeros 127               your graphs 186
                     switch index 100,       TYPE 287
                        287                  type
                     SYLK 220                   field 209, 211
                     SYSPW 267               type size 126, 141
                     system defaults 249
                     system field 117,       U
                        121                  un-delete records
                     System Password 259        279
                     system requirements     Unable to delete
                        13                      NDX entry 105
                                             Unable to modify
                     T                          NDX entry 105
                     (T)-log 178             underscore 88, 228
                     tab 119                 UNIQUE 238
                     (Tab) 30                unmark 47
                     TEACH 29                Unsuccessful ADD
                     teach mode 27              operation 80,
                     telephone 29, 197          105
                     telephone log 199       up arrow 30
                     telephone port 202      update
                     template 364               global 227
                     terms 63                   modify 95
                     Text editor 220         UPPER 287
                     text masks 127          upper case 47, 253
                     tilde 30                USEPW 267
                     TIME 119, 238, 287      user-defined
                     time 117                   delimiter 223
                     *Time 306               user-defined index
                     tips 333                   282
                                             USR 224



                                                                    397

              Index
              _________________________________________________________



                     Utilities 203           window
                     Utilities Index            editing 41
                        Operations 100       window field 66,
                                                208, 212
                     V                       word wrap 127
                     VAL 287                 WordPerfect 221
                     values 168              WordStar 220
                     Variable Axis 169       workspace drive 308
                     variable                write letter 149
                        substitution         Wrong password 350
                        118, 151             WS 224
                     VENDOR.DOC 362          :WWWWW: 128
                     verify 328
                     vertical bar chart      X
                        178                  Xchg 179
                     VGA 254, 267            XXX 260
                     VGA adapter 165         XXX password 258
                                             XXXPW 267
                     W
                     WARNING: Bad Index      Y
                        (#) 105              YEAR 287
                     wedges                  YR 238
                        pie 182              YYMMDD 238
                     Whoops 47               YYYYMMDD 238
                     wildcard character
                        228                  Z
                     wildcard search 88      zero suppress 127
                                             ZIP files 18





















              398                                               PC-File












                                    Contents



                   Chapter 1  INTRODUCTION                       9
                      1.1  GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . 9

                   Chapter 2  INSTALLING PC-FILE                13
                      2.1  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . .  13
                      2.2  INSTALLING FOR THE FIRST TIME . . .  14
                      2.3  INSTALLING OVER AN EXISTING COPY OF
                           PC-FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
                      2.4  MANUALLY INSTALLING PC-FILE . . . .  18
                      2.5  THE READ.ME FILE  . . . . . . . . .  19
                      2.6  YOUR CONFIG.SYS FILE  . . . . . . .  19
                      2.7  BACKING UP YOUR PC-FILE DISKS . . .  20

                   Chapter 3  COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS
                              VERSIONS                          21
                      3.1  PC-FILE:dB 1.0, 1.1 PREVIOUS USERS . 21
                      3.2  PC-FILE+ PREVIOUS USERS . . . . . .  21
                      3.3  PC-FILE III & PC-FILE/R PREVIOUS
                           USERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
                      3.4  CONVERTING YOUR DATABASES . . . . .  22
                      3.5  DOWNWARD COMPATIBILITY  . . . . . .  24

                   GETTING ACQUAINTED                           25

                   Chapter 4  HELP SCREENS AND TEACH MODE       27

                   Chapter 5  SPECIAL KEYS WHEN TYPING          29

                   Chapter 6  USING THE MOUSE                   33
                      6.1  MICE SUPPORTED  . . . . . . . . . .  33
                      6.2  INSTALLING THE MOUSE  . . . . . . .  33
                      6.3  USING THE MOUSE IN PC-FILE  . . . .  33

                   Chapter 7  SELECTING FILES AND FIELDS        37
                      7.1  SELECTING FILES . . . . . . . . . .  37
                      7.2  SELECTING FIELDS  . . . . . . . . .  38



                                          i






                   Chapter 8  USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR         41
                      8.1  WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN  . . . .  41
                      8.2  MOVING THE CURSOR AND SCROLLING . .  43
                      8.3  FUNCTION KEYS . . . . . . . . . . .  43
                      8.4  SUMMARY OF VALID EDITING
                           KEYSTROKES  . . . . . . . . . . . .  48
                      8.5  KEYING IN SPECIAL ASCII CHARACTERS . 49

                   Chapter 9  PC-FILE DATA FILES                53
                      9.1  WHY DOES PC-FILE USE DBASE FILES? .  53
                      9.2  WHAT ARE DBASE FILES? . . . . . . .  54
                      9.3  DELETED RECORDS AND PACKING FILES .  57

                   USING PC-FILE                                59

                   Chapter 10  STARTING PC-FILE                 61

                   Chapter 11  DEFINING A NEW DATABASE          63
                      11.1  TERMS AND GUIDELINES . . . . . . .  63
                      11.2  DEFINING YOUR DATABASE   . . . . .  67

                   Chapter 12  THE MASTER MENU                  75

                   Chapter 13  ADDING RECORDS                   77
                      13.1  ENTERING THE DATA  . . . . . . . .  77
                      13.2  THE FLIP DATA CHARACTER  . . . . .  78
                      13.3  THE DUPE KEYS  . . . . . . . . . .  78
                      13.4  THE MEMORIZE KEYS  . . . . . . . .  79
                      13.5  TYPING IN A MEMO FIELD . . . . . .  79
                      13.6  ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . .  80

                   Chapter 14  FINDING A RECORD                 81
                      14.1  THE FIND MENU  . . . . . . . . . .  82
                      14.2  (S) SEARCH FOR DATA (FIND) . . . .  85
                      14.3  AFTER THE RECORD IS FOUND  . . . .  92

                   Chapter 15  MODIFYING A RECORD               95
                      15.1  ERROR MESSAGE WHEN MODIFYING . . .  96

                   Chapter 16  DELETING A RECORD                97
                      16.1  ERROR MESSAGE WHEN DELETING  . . .  97

                   Chapter 17  REARRANGING THE DATA             99
                      17.1  SWITCHING INDEXES  . . . . . . . . 100
                      17.2  SORTING THE DATABASE . . . . . . . 100
                      17.3  SPECIAL SORTING CAPABILITIES . . . 102



                                         ii






                      17.4  INDEX ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . 105

                   Chapter 18  PRINTING REPORTS                107
                      18.1  TYPE OF REPORT FORMATS . . . . . . 107
                      18.2  SECTIONS OF A REPORT . . . . . . . 108
                      18.3  PAGE FORMAT  . . . . . . . . . . . 109
                      18.4  ROW FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
                      18.5  MAIL LABEL FORMAT  . . . . . . . . 112
                      18.6  FREE FORM FORMAT . . . . . . . . . 113
                      18.7  COMMANDS FORMAT  . . . . . . . . . 117
                      18.8  REPORT MENU  . . . . . . . . . . . 136
                      18.9  FINAL OUTPUT . . . . . . . . . . . 142
                      18.10  COMMON PRINTING PROBLEMS  . . . . 143
                      18.11  ADVANCED SUBTOTALS  . . . . . . . 146

                   Chapter 19  USING THE LETTER WRITING
                               FEATURES                        149
                      19.1  CREATING YOUR LETTER . . . . . . . 149
                      19.2  THE MAIL MERGE COMMANDS  . . . . . 151
                      19.3  PRINTING LETTERS . . . . . . . . . 154
                      19.4  AN EXAMPLE LETTER  . . . . . . . . 155
                      19.5  CREATING LETTERS WITH YOUR WORD
                            PROCESSOR  . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

                   Chapter 20  GRAPHING THE DATABASE           157
                      20.1  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS  . . . . . . . 165
                      20.2  DEFINING YOUR GRAPH  . . . . . . . 166
                      20.3  SUMMARY TABLE OF ANSWERS FOR
                            EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
                      20.4  VIEWING YOUR GRAPH . . . . . . . . 173
                      20.5  IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS . . . . . . . 184

                   ADDITIONAL FEATURES                         187

                   Chapter 21  USING THE CALCULATION FEATURES  189
                      21.1  GENERAL FORMAT FOR CALCULATIONS  . 189
                      21.2  DATE ARITHMETIC  . . . . . . . . . 191
                      21.3  OTHER CALCULATION FUNCTIONS  . . . 194

                   Chapter 22  AUTODIALING PHONE NUMBERS       197
                      22.1  GENERAL INFORMATION  . . . . . . . 197
                      22.2  REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTODIALING . . . 197
                      22.3  PLACING THE CALL . . . . . . . . . 198
                      22.4  TECHNICAL INFORMATION  . . . . . . 199

                   Chapter 23  USING THE UTILITIES             203



                                         iii






                   Chapter 24  ALTERING THE DATA ENTRY SCREENS 205

                   Chapter 25  CHANGING YOUR DATABASE
                               DEFINITION                      207
                      25.1  FAST METHOD  . . . . . . . . . . . 208
                      25.2  PAINT METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . 210
                      25.3  REMAINING QUESTIONS  . . . . . . . 212

                   Chapter 26  CHECKING FOR DUPLICATE RECORDS  215

                   Chapter 27  PC-FILE & OTHER PROGRAMS        219
                      27.1  EXPORTING YOUR DATABASE  . . . . . 221
                      27.2  IMPORTING DATA . . . . . . . . . . 224

                   Chapter 28  GLOBAL MODIFY AND DELETE        227

                   Chapter 29  MAINTENANCE OF FILES            231
                      29.1  COPY A FILE  . . . . . . . . . . . 231
                      29.2  DELETE A FILE  . . . . . . . . . . 232
                      29.3  RENAME A FILE  . . . . . . . . . . 232

                   Chapter 30  ALTER FIELD NAME, MASK, CONST,
                               CALC                            235
                      30.1  FIELD NAMES  . . . . . . . . . . . 236
                      30.2  EDIT MASKS . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
                      30.3  CONSTANTS  . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
                      30.4  CALCULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 239
                      30.5  ADD, MODIFY & BLANK ONLY . . . . . 246

                   Chapter 31  CONFIGURING SYSTEM - PROFILES   249
                      31.1  CHANGING THE CONFIGURATION . . . . 250

                   Chapter 32  RE-DESCRIBE A FILE              269

                   Chapter 33  SMART KEYS                      271
                      33.1  MEMORIZING KEYSTROKES  . . . . . . 271
                      33.2  EDITING EXISTING SMART KEYS  . . . 272
                      33.3  NESTING SMART KEYS . . . . . . . . 274
                      33.4  PAUSING FOR INPUT  . . . . . . . . 274
                      33.5  RECURSIVE SMART KEYS . . . . . . . 275
                      33.6  LOADING OTHER SMART KEY FILES  . . 277
                      33.7  SMART KEY MENUS  . . . . . . . . . 278

                   Chapter 34  UN-DELETING RECORDS             279





                                         iv






                   Chapter 35  INDEX OPERATIONS                281
                      35.1  MAKING A NEW INDEX . . . . . . . . 281
                      35.2  SWITCHING TO DIFFERENT INDEX . . . 287
                      35.3  DELETING AN EXISTING INDEX . . . . 288
                      35.4  RENAMING AN EXISTING INDEX . . . . 288
                      35.5  EXITING THE INDEX MENU . . . . . . 288

                   Chapter 36  PRINTING MAILING LABELS         289
                      36.1  RUNNING PC-LABEL . . . . . . . . . 289
                      36.2  USING PC-LABEL . . . . . . . . . . 290
                      36.3  PRINT LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . 308
                      36.4  SAVE CURRENT SETUP . . . . . . . . 309
                      36.5  QUIT/EXIT PC-LABEL . . . . . . . . 310

                   MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION                   311

                   Chapter 37  USING PC-FILE ON A NETWORK      313

                   Chapter 38  BACKING UP YOUR DATABASE        317
                      38.1  USING THE DOS COPY COMMAND . . . . 317
                      38.2  USING THE DOS BACKUP COMMAND . . . 317
                      38.3  USING PC-FILE'S COPY FEATURE . . . 318
                      38.4  USING A SPECIAL BACKUP PROGRAM . . 318

                   Chapter 39  PACKING THE DATABASE            319
                      39.1  WHY PACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
                      39.2  HOW TO PACK  . . . . . . . . . . . 319
                      39.3  HOW PACKING WORKS  . . . . . . . . 321

                   Chapter 40  A PRINTED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR
                               DATABASE                        323

                   Chapter 41  IF YOUR DATABASE GETS DAMAGED   327

                   Chapter 42  USING PCFIX                     331
                      42.1  HOW TO RUN PCFIX . . . . . . . . . 331
                      42.2  REBUILDING INDEXES . . . . . . . . 332

                   Chapter 43  SPEEDING UP PC-FILE             333

                   Chapter 44  PC-CALC+ AND PC-FILE            335

                   Chapter 45  PC-TYPE II AND PC-FILE          337

                   Appendix A  ERROR MESSAGES                  339




                                          v






                   Appendix B  A FEATURES CHECKLIST            353

                   Appendix C  THE FILES ON YOUR DISKS         359

                   Appendix D  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS      363

                   Appendix E  PC-File QUICK REFERENCE CARD    365

                   Appendix F  USER RESPONSE FORM              375

                   Appendix G  BUTTONWARE PRODUCT LINE         379

                   ORDER FORM                                  381

                   ABOUT THE AUTHOR                            383

                   Index                                       385
































                                         vi












                                    Figures


                   Figure 6.1: The Mouse Menu  . . . . . . . . .34
                   Figure 8.1: An Editing Window . . . . . . . .42
                   Figure 11.1: Fast Method of Screen Design . .69
                   Figure 11.2: The Paint Method of Screen
                                Design . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
                   Figure 11.3: A Painted Screen . . . . . . . .72
                   Figure 12.1: The Master Menu Screen . . . . .75
                   Figure 14.1: The Find Menu  . . . . . . . . .81
                   Figure 14.2: The Simple Search Screen . . . .86
                   Figure 18.1: "Free Form" Report (example) . 115
                   Figure 18.2: The Report Menu  . . . . . . . 137
                   Figure 19.1: Letter writer screen . . . . . 150
                   Figure 19.2: Example letter . . . . . . . . 155
                   Figure 20.1: Chart A: Vertical Bar Chart  . 157
                   Figure 20.2: Chart B: Horizontal Bar Chart .158
                   Figure 20.3: Chart C: Line Graph  . . . . . 158
                   Figure 20.4: Chart D: Pie Chart . . . . . . 159
                   Figure 20.5: Chart E: Scatter Chart . . . . 159
                   Figure 20.6: Chart F: Cumulative Line
                                Chart  . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
                   Figure 20.7: Chart G: Cumulative Bar Chart .160
                   Figure 20.8: Chart H: Vertical Bar Chart  . 161
                   Figure 20.9: Chart I: Stacked Bar Chart . . 161
                   Figure 20.10: Chart J: Pie Chart  . . . . . 162
                   Figure 20.11: Chart K: Scatter Chart  . . . 162
                   Figure 20.12: Chart L: Smoothed Averages  . 163
                   Figure 20.13: Subtotals Vs. Totals  . . . . 167
                   Figure 20.14: Default Graph Type  . . . . . 170
                   Figure 20.15: Field To Trigger Subtotals  . 171
                   Figure 20.16: Color Command . . . . . . . . 176
                   Figure 20.17: Aspect Command  . . . . . . . 181
                   Figure 23.1: The Utilities Menu . . . . . . 203
                   Figure 27.1: Export Formats Menu  . . . . . 222
                   Figure 31.1: The Configuration Screen . . . 251
                   Figure 31.2: Printers . . . . . . . . . . . 255
                   Figure 33.1: Keystroke codes for smart
                                keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273



                                         vii






                   Figure 36.1: PC-Label Main Menu . . . . . . 290
                   Figure 36.2: Define/modify setup options  . 292
                   Figure 36.3: Define Search and Index  . . . 294
                   Figure 36.4: Print Escape Code Menu . . . . 298
                   Figure 36.5: Editing the Escape Codes . . . 300
                   Figure 36.6: Label Sheet Definition . . . . 301
                   Figure 36.7: User-Defined Label Size  . . . 302
                   Figure 36.8: Label Layout Screen  . . . . . 304
                   Figure 36.9: Sample Label Layout  . . . . . 307








































                                        viii
